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Arts Reporter

As a way of engaging young people from high-density suburbs to divert their attention from dangerous adventures at a time when they are not attending school, an online talent search show has been launched.

Zim Talent Search Movement, which hosted a number of arts talent identification projects, has taken the talent search online and are currently targeting children from Mbare and Highfield.

In January this year the Zim Talent Search movement held grand finals for another edition in Highfield under the banner ‘Fio’s Got Talent’. Many winners walked away with prizes at the fascinating final.

The organisers intended to start their new search for talent last month, but the current lockdown derailed their plans.

The launch of the online talent search programme is likely to bring relief to young people from the high-density suburbs that were looking forward to another edition of Zim Talent Search.

One of the organisers, Jo Gweshe, said they have launched the online platform for the programme to proceed. They will search for talent in music, dance and gymnastics.

“We want to give the kids something to do this time of the lockdown. Most of the kids are going through a lot of hardships and this is creating stress, leading to vices,” said Gweshe.

“The free time that children have in the lockdown also gives room for misdemeanor, since children are not going to school.”

She said the kids will walk away with prizes such as school reading materials as well as goodies. The competition is meant to discover talent and ensure character building.

The arts industry has been hit hard by the outbreak of Covid-19 as lockdown restrictions have hindered public performances.

Since the pandemic hit the country in March this year, a lot of programmes were affected and a lot of talent remains untapped.

The closure of schools has seen kids remaining idle at home, exposing them juvenile delinquencies such as drugs and crime.

The shows by Zim Talent Search Movement aim to reach out to as many kids as possible in high-density suburbs.

The virtual shows, which are billed to start this August, will have children between the ages of five and 16 showcasing their acts. The shows will be shown on various virtual platforms.

Gwese said they intend to take the shows to other parts of the capital when their Mbare and Highfield sessions are done.

They are looking forward to working with various sponsors to achieve their goal of keeping the children entertained and occupied while giving them talent exposure.