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Tocky Vibes

R Kay
If you were to accord an international status to a Zimbabwean musician, who would that be and what are the factors to consider?
To date a vast number of our musicians are performing in other countries, a thing that I am sure is a good sign that we have equally great artistes in Zimbabwe.

Does one become international the day they perform on foreign land? What of artistes that are going to perform for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora? Can this move be a justified reason to be accorded the international status?

Maybe for one to claim to be international there must perform in a concert that brings the different nationalities in another country together.

What is the entry point for one to be an international artist and is this achievable for our local artistes?

By the way let me register my congratulations to all the NAMA winners for this season and also say that the value of an award must not be undermined such that we spend more of our time focusing on the function and whether it matches the so called international standards.

It is what it is and we need to applaud the winners and make the world long to come and experience the Zimbabwean product.

An award adds value to an individual thereby opening up new opportunities for business and gives one value on the market.

Let me not continue on that issue because I know some of you are good debaters but are of no earthly use, good critics with good points but no practical solutions.

As the arts industry continues to experience steady growth against the lack of resources, I believe one of the greatest resource that we have is human resource.

The amount of skill and knowledge that is among us is so powerful that, if we come on the same page, we will experience a certain gratification in our products.

Back to the subject of the day. Something is amiss somewhere and we need to fix it as soon as possible to conquer the international scene with our arts, especially music.

The longing for many of us to align ourselves with the international standard will leave us in a state of confusion and desperation if not carefully assessed.

Most Zimbabweans will agree with me that Tocky Vibes is a must-hear-and-see artiste today.

He is the hottest dancehall artiste and Zimdancehall is the most happening thing in the country.

Dancehall has its roots in a foreign land but it found its way to many parts of the world and has had stars in many countries other than Jamaica.

It means we can also export our dancehall stars if they are handled properly.

Beyond dancehall, there are many other talented local musicians that can make it internationally if they get the exposure.

At what point can we begin to see the vast number of our artistes being interviewed on mainstream radio and television stations say in England and America? Is it because the organisers are failing to promote the Zimbabwean story or the doors are only open for a selected few?

I would have expected that every time our stars fly for tours, they make headlines.

I think that some of the guys who are promoting shows for Zimbabwean artistes have a narrow focus and may need a major boost.

Our artistes can’t just go to perform for a mere fifty Zimbabweans who are missing home.

While it is a great thing to be invited abroad, let us look broader and create strategic networks that give our stars the so called international status.

Knock and the door shall be opened, seek and you will find.

This is the Big Stage and I strongly believe that we have what it takes to rock the world and so there is no day we should take our talent for granted. No one in the world is going to give a hero’s welcome to our stars until we gloss them up and invite all the major players to the game.

In days to come all roads lead to the capital for the Harare International Festival of the Arts (note ‘international festival’) so maybe this is an opportunity for our local artiste to embrace the status.

◆ Richard “R-Kay” Kohola is a Radio producer and presenter and arts critic and music development expert and you can contact him on 0772 382 871 or email [email protected] or [email protected]