Arts groups seek audience with ED
... as artistes continue singing the blues
LOCAL arts associations have joined hands under the banner All-Music Associations and Arts Promoters in Zimbabwe to lobby President Emmerson Mnangagwa to lift the ban on their cashcow — public shows.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March last year, physical gatherings for live concerts have remained banned as part of a raft of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus and as a result, most artistes are struggling to survive.
Most artistes have been reduced to beggars and are now turning to the government for assistance as their plight continues to worsen while other sectors have been opened.
They met early this week to lobby government to lift the ban on live shows.
The associations represented at the meeting were the Dancers Association of Zimbabwe, Association of Music Promoters of Zimbabwe, Disk Jockey Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Music Union, Zimbabwe Arts Journalists Association, Coalition of Zimbabwean Musicians and Music Management Forum Zimbabwe (MMFZ).
On Tuesday, the associations met for a discussion courtesy of MMFZ at Theatre in the Park, Harare, and agreed to engage Mnangagwa over the reopening of the arts sector and promised to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style on the sidelines of the meeting, AllMusic Associations and Arts Promoters in Zimbabwe chairperson Partson Chimbodza (pictured) said COVID-19 had created barriers for them as most of their activities were based on social gatherings.
“This COVID-19 lockdown period is really challenging for many artistes. The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has done what they can for us, but we need to push as we are struggling to survive,” he said.
“As we continue to battle the pandemic, artistes remain a pillar of society and they need to be prioritised in terms of funding. Funding could be loans so that they are able to survive.”
“We promise that we are able to hold open indoor events where numbers can be controlled so as to adhere to health regulations. Open air activities such as drive-ins are to be prioritised because they allow social distancing,” he said.
“We have also agreed to engage those in the film, sculpture and other arts genres to join forces so that the cultural sector can explore other revenue streams to contribute to the nation’s foreign currency earnings.”
In a bid to stave off poverty, a number of local artistes among them urban groover Trevor Dongo, comedian Mai Titi and dancehall singer Holy Ten have been flocking to South Africa
for live performances.