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Hope Masike

R-Kay The Big Stage
If you put in the hours you will reap a bumper harvest of opportunities and when they start coming they will definitely overtake you. The announcement of the upcoming collaboration of Salif Keita and Hope Masike came as a major surprise for many of us who attended the first Hifa press conference at the national art gallery this Wednesday.

If you remember, my first article in this year was focusing on the exploits that Masike had done in the past year.

So when the artistic director Manuel Bagorro announced that Hope would be teamed up with the living legend I was so delighted and in my heart everything said yes she deserves it she has put in the hours and she is ready to hang with the big boys in the game.

You can never keep a good man done for too long because sooner or later their good deeds will speak on their behalf.

The truth about music talent is that when it is done well people cannot resist appreciating by clapping hands and attending your performances and even linking you up with some of the most unimaginable opportunities the world has to offer.

So to Hope,well done for setting a standard that has opened such big platforms for you. Can I say welcome to the Big stage and long live.

This year I am so interested in focusing on the development of Zimbabwean artistes as they take centre stage on various platforms such as our very own prestigious Hifa and as they tour the world and perform in foreign lands.

Did you know that some of the most accomplished and seasoned artistes may not be the ones you hear on a daily basis on radio stations and yet their demand at festivals and huge gatherings is so huge?

Well done to Hifa organisers for the opening night which brings our very own internationally recognised band Mokoomba in a collaboration that promises to demonstrate that we are ready to do the impossible and given a fair platform we can do anything.

Again Mokoomba you guys rock and I am counting on you to set the pace for this year’s edition of the festival.

During the conference I was also happy to hear the mention of yet another young man Blessing Chimanga who by the day is growing or has grown into a world class entertainer.

For the purposes of this story let’s say in the last 10 years Hope and Chimanga have done their homework religiously and have put in the hours.

Well last week I promised to look at cooperate partnerships and sponsorship in the arts as observations are that part of the delay in activating our stars onto the bigger galaxy of stars seems to be taking forever long.

Finger-pointing is something that many will find easy to do but remember that the other fingers are pointing back at you.

Before we delve into the affairs of the business community, let’s look at ourselves.

If my understanding of brand and product placement is correct then any serious business is looking for a platform that can guarantee it good market visibility and increase their share.

Music is one such platform that over the years has raised the profile of many products and brands and so when all the right elements are in place it should be business as usual between the arts and the business community.

Over the past years there has been an overwhelming rise in the number of artistes who have become brand Ambassadors for a varied number of organisations and brands. What does that say?

Trust has been built and some have developed credibility and viability to enter into such contracts which are usually a win for the artiste and the brand.

As a nation we have a very few years since music became socially acceptable and judging from that I must say the hard work of others has already started paying of.

The amount of or volume of productions is not what moves the business community to partner with the arts but rather the quality of work.

A lot of cooperates can be seen supporting the Harare International festival of the Arts due to the quality of artistes on show and the value they get from such engagements.

Now at an individual level let me get personal on how many shows or concerts have you done.

How big is your fan base do you have a major following?

Are you seasoned enough to adapt to the ever changing market demand? Can you handle the pressure that comes with contracts commitments?

In Zimbabwe controversy does not sell.

We have values that we judge you by and as soon as we see that you are over projected and are trying too hard to be what we are not sometimes we close our doors.

In my day to day interaction with artistes I meet very fresh artistes who are already hunting for a managers and sponsorship.

The truth of the matter is stop looking for those things and focus on your craft put in the hours create a fan base a following ,let people do the talking on your behalf.

Stop blowing your own trumpet and put the hours

• Richard “R-Kay” Kohola is a Radio producer presenter ,Arts critic and music development expert and can be consulted on the following number 0772 382 871 or email [email protected]/[email protected]