Bulawayo music apathy: Who is to blame?

THE common phrase at the onset of a new year is, "Out with the old and in with the new".

For many, this statement is vital as they seek to rid themselves of demons from the past year and focus on the promise brought by the start of a new one.The slate, it seems, is always wiped clean at the end each year.

With December's anthems fading from memory, the music world also prepares itself for the beginning of a new year, in hope that it brings better things.

Like everyone else, artistes grapple with this new beginning as they seek to capture the ears of listeners with fresh sounds and hits.

Those still hung-over from the successes of last year will be left behind, as in the fast world of music, songs that were hot last year might not carry their sizzle into the new year.

While other artistes from around the country make resolutions and search for a fresh start, Bulawayo artistes as a whole will be scratching their heads as they try to come up with solutions to their erstwhile problems.

Yet another year begins with the city's music scene plagued by the same problems that have troubled them in previous years.

If one comes across a city artiste and inquires about the problems that seemingly stunt the growth of musicians, they are most likely going to be given a familiar list of problems.

Lack of funding, poor organisation, lack of national airplay and local apathy are the buzzwords for many a local artiste as year after year, the stars fail to align and give Bulawayo musos the success that they crave.

The symptoms are there for all to see, and while many have prescribed various solutions to the local music scene's woes, few have successfully come up with a cure to the endless problems that plague the music scene.

Are city artistes going to pen a new story on their fresh page or are they going to be rewriting the same story again with the same sad ending?

The question that needs to be asked is who exactly is to blame for the current predicament that local music finds itself in.

Are the artistes to blame for the city's current predicament?

One wonders whether they have simply failed to meet the expectations of local fans who demand nothing but the best in music.

Are local artistes merely failing to meet the standards that their counterparts from elsewhere around the country are setting?

Some argue that while local acts bemoan the perceived lack of support that they are getting, is it perhaps that they themselves are not coming to the party as fans gravitate to good music regardless of its source.

Local producer Bukhosi "Biko" Maphosa, who last month shocked the arts world by walking from Bulawayo to Harare in protest of the marginalisation of city artistes, believes that local musicians have devalued themselves by making unwise moves that have left them open to ridicule.

He argues that local acts are content with producing a lot of music that not only falls on deaf ears, but sometimes fails to reach any ears at all, hence their current predicament.

"You have to value yourself. These $10 productions are a joke and look where it has got us after all these years. Where are all these mass recordings?  They are certainly not played on radio stations because they sound cheap as they are produced," Maphosa said.

Music fan Themba Moyo concurs, saying local artistes don't have an identity of their own but simply offer poorly repackaged ideas from other artistes.

"Why would I pay to listen to someone play music that is similar to Mafikizolo or Davido when I can listen to those artistes directly?  The people only want something good and authentic," Moyo said.

While it might be easy to blame artistes for not making music that excites hard to please local music fans, it is also good to note that some of the city's most illustrious names have left for greener pastures as they discovered that Bulawayo was not the place for them to etch their names in music history.

Lovemore Majaivana, Busi Ncube and Dudu Manhenga are some of the names that have had to lead a nomadic lifestyle as they look for a home away from home.

While these artistes have found praise and admirers elsewhere, they could not do the same while in the city.

At present, some of the city's most lauded artistes, like Jeys Marabini and Sandra Ndebele, also struggle to tickle the fancy of local fans. Marabini believes that the fault lies with the fans that have a fetish for anything foreign.

"I think people love anything that is not from the city.  We get more appreciation when performing outside Bulawayo, which is unfortunate. People would rather listen to something from outside the city even though Bulawayo artistes might have a better product," Marabini said.

The musicians' comments echo those made by Cont Mhlanga whom upon discovery that an online petition had been started to get Majaivana back on stage, blasted fans who he believed were not ready to support the ace musician when they could.

"I now hear calls for Lovemore Majaivana to come back and perform. Where? Here in Bulawayo? Did he not do that and you people and your families and friends stayed away and those that came were not willing to pay?

"Did you people not shout at him that you will only pay to see the Soul Brothers from South Africa and not him from Mzilikazi?" Mhlanga quizzed on social network Facebook.

While those with short memories might think that the city's problems are recent, those in the know will argue that the recent failings of local musicians on a national scale are only the continuation of long standing problems that have dogged the city's music scene for decades.

As many welcome a new year with new resolutions, one wonders whether city artistes', who have failed to make any significant headway on the local music scene, are doing the same.