‘Music promoters living off our sweat’

My biggest challenge in the arts industry has been the lack of a healthy business mechanism in terms of the arts as an institution. Artistes like me and others from my generation had to fight for a place on the airwaves and screens, and we suffered a lot of disappointments from so-called promoters who exploited our gifts for their personal gain.

GENDER inequality and gender-based violence (GBV) have continued to haunt females in the Zimbabwean showbiz industry.

Some have labelled the arts industry a playground for sexual harassment.

One of the country’s top urban groovers Pauline Gundidza is a gender champion who has fought against all odds to claim her stake in the cut-throat, male-dominated music sector.

She is on record as saying she has been a victim of sexual harassment, where some promoters and producers demanded sex for studio time or for show bookings among other favours.

As a musician-cum-gender activist, Pauline uses music to campaign against GBV as she also defends the rights and welfare of women, advocates for gender equality and campaigns against child marriages and rape.

Musical career

I appeared on the music scene with legendary Afro-fusion group Mafriq. I started working with Mafriq in 2001 when I was doing my Ordinary Level in Harare.

Afterwards, I tried to go solo and that is when the promoters identified me. They were an all-male group also trying to break into the market. We have two albums as Mafriq —

Chizevezeve and Shungu Dzemoyo.

We were also featured on Chamhembe Volume 1 and 2, on which we made our hit song Ndizvo Chete in 2004. I also have a band called Vanhu Vese, based in Highfield, Harare.

I started doing solo projects at Music Crossroads Academy in 2014, but even before this, I had done some solo work.

I have recorded and released solo projects such as Down to Zero (World Aids Day theme song) with Dereck Mpofu, Albert Nyathi, Tererai Mugwadi and Adiona Maboreke-Chidzonga, Stop the Bleeding, a humanitarian song that won the Honesty Oscar Award in 2016 with Synik and Livesoul, Sarura Wako featuring T Mula, Rure Rure featuring Ali Black, Pfeka Mask, a COVID-19 awareness song with Ti Gonzi and Fuzzy L, Hatichada Mhirizhonga,a theme song for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

A number of these songs are activism songs for health and social change.

Gender inequalities

Gender inequalities in the arts industry have originated from society and not necessarily from the men in the sector although some of them have endorsed these inequalities by downplaying the efforts of women to break the glass ceiling and make a name for themselves.

Culture has dictated that a woman’s place is in the shadows, to be seen and not heard, and if seen then to be seen serving the needs of men and not our own needs.

But this is a result of the patriarchal nature of our society that amplifies discrimination, stigma and gender inequalities.

Women as GBV perpetrators

The word abuse can never be justified or excused. Nobody asks for abuse.

However, irresponsible behaviour has got its consequences and women should always consider the outcome of their decisions as well.

When it comes to representation of women in the music fraternity, I believe there are so many women in the music industry; the ones on the surface are a mere fraction.

I encourage women to excel so that they claim their rightful positions because in this industry, it’s hard work and commitment, no games, and no one feels sorry for you.

Challenges encountered

My biggest challenge in the arts industry has been the lack of a healthy business mechanism in terms of the arts as an institution.

Artistes like me and others from my generation had to fight for a place on the airwaves and screens, and we suffered a lot of disappointments from so-called promoters who exploited our gifts for their personal gain.

The absence of registered record labels, production houses, promoters, managers, funding bodies, unions makes this ball game very difficult.

Artistes are vulnerable to this lack of solidity. For example, in this COVID-19 era, nobody is fighting for us artistes. For months, we have been forced to shut down our trade.

Others have business hours and can work from home, but for us we have very limited resources.

Some said we must do online shows, but data bundles are expensive and unreliable for fans and our promoters need to pay us from somewhere.

I have conquered this by advocating for the rights of artistes alongside fellow artistes.

Together, we are creating an artiste’s coalition to empower the artiste for the present and the future. It is sad when artistes die poor and unfulfilled, so we are putting things on paper to start creating a valid platform for the sustenance of artistes.

Fight against GBV through music

I believe music can be used to cause social change. With regard to GBV, I would say music can be a very powerful tool to make such a tense conversation more palatable. People don’t like to be drilled with repetitive information.

Using the arts makes the message easier to swallow and spread. Last year, I recorded Hatichada Mhirizhonga, a project that I did with Oxfam as part of a campaign during the 16 Days of Activism against GBV.

The video is meant to come out any time from now, but the lockdown conditions make it very hard to move and meet in groups, so we are yet to complete and release it.

I hope fans will like the song and hear from the message that violence affects people.

I also did a song a couple of years back called Nemusana, which speaks of sexual harassment in the workplace.

I have also done a jingle with Musasa Project speaking about GBV during this lockdown period as the statistics show that the lockdown has reflected a spike in these cases.

Current and future projects

I recently released the song Ndoga, which is a collaboration with a production house called Dreamstation. We have also finished a new track by Mafriq, which also premieres this month.

We have also done a song that encourages the wearing of masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 in which I collaborated with Fuzzy L and Ti Gonzi.

I have been keeping myself as busy as I can. I believe the lockdown will eventually end, and when it does, I would want to be in a good position on the market.