Entertainment / Music
Minister guarantees showbiz return
12 Apr 2021 at 02:10hrs | Views
YOUTH, Sport, Arts and Recreation deputy minister Tinomudaishe Machakaire on Friday met with Bulawayo-based artists and assured them of the imminent reopening of the showbiz sector after it had remained closed since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in March last year.
Physical gatherings for live concerts have remained banned as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus, and as a result, most artistes are financially struggling.
Machakaire told the artistes that something worth celebrating was in the pipeline regarding the opening of the creative sector.
"The ministry has been in talks with the government and I can assure you that we are close to getting what we all want so that our artists can get back to work and manage to feed their families. COVID-19 took away many people's livelihoods and we can't continue like this, so we are making strides in reopening the sector," he said.
As part of the drive to create arts hubs, Machakaire proposed the construction of a recording studio in Bulawayo which will be used by artists at minimum cost.
"We should build a studio in Bulawayo that will help artists, especially up-and-coming who can't afford costly studios. The studio should be for everyone and be a hub for everyone. The studio will also work as a unifying factor in Bulawayo where artists meet, mingle and create synergies."
"We will also be having artists from other cities like Harare, Kwekwe, and Mutare coming through to record there and creating healthy synergies as Zimbabwean artists. Another issue we should curb is the high rate of music piracy, it's a pandemic and we should come up with ways to fight it."
Presenting their grievances at the meeting, artistes bemoaned how the halting of the showbiz industry had thrown them into poverty and pushed some of them into depression.
Artistes who attended the event included the legendary Cool Crooners, Jeys Marabini, Sandra Ndebele, Mzoe 7, Novuyo Seagirl, Hudson Simbarashe, That's Harsh Touch, Sweet Mobby, Madlela Skhobokhobo, Khuxman and others.
Physical gatherings for live concerts have remained banned as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus, and as a result, most artistes are financially struggling.
Machakaire told the artistes that something worth celebrating was in the pipeline regarding the opening of the creative sector.
"The ministry has been in talks with the government and I can assure you that we are close to getting what we all want so that our artists can get back to work and manage to feed their families. COVID-19 took away many people's livelihoods and we can't continue like this, so we are making strides in reopening the sector," he said.
"We should build a studio in Bulawayo that will help artists, especially up-and-coming who can't afford costly studios. The studio should be for everyone and be a hub for everyone. The studio will also work as a unifying factor in Bulawayo where artists meet, mingle and create synergies."
"We will also be having artists from other cities like Harare, Kwekwe, and Mutare coming through to record there and creating healthy synergies as Zimbabwean artists. Another issue we should curb is the high rate of music piracy, it's a pandemic and we should come up with ways to fight it."
Presenting their grievances at the meeting, artistes bemoaned how the halting of the showbiz industry had thrown them into poverty and pushed some of them into depression.
Artistes who attended the event included the legendary Cool Crooners, Jeys Marabini, Sandra Ndebele, Mzoe 7, Novuyo Seagirl, Hudson Simbarashe, That's Harsh Touch, Sweet Mobby, Madlela Skhobokhobo, Khuxman and others.
Source - newsday
