First and foremost, I would like to say Happy New Year to everyone who is reading this right now.
This is the first time in 2021 that I am sitting down to write, something that I haven’t done in a few weeks as I was taking some time off so that I could just reboot and start off on a fresh page.
2020 was a cruel year and one that everyone would certainly want to forget about in a snap and as we kicked off this new one, some might have been hopping that things would a bit better but well, the opposite is true.
We are just eight days in but if events that have already taken place in that short space of time are anything to go by, we should probably brace for an even bleaker year.
If Covid-19 sabotaged our lives last year, this time around it definitely wants to finish us off as the number of positive cases and deaths has been spiking across the globe.
In Zimbabwe, the situation has forced the government to reintroduce a national lockdown as they try to minimize the spread of the virus.
Local artists, some who have not worked since March last year, might have hoped that restrictions would be relaxed by now to enable them to get back on the grind but as it stands, that will not be happening anytime soon.
In the last quarter of 2020, there was a bit of positivity in the arts sector as shows and events were being held in some sections and with the law seemingly turning a blind eye, some took this as a greenlight and showbiz activity had intensified immensely as we got to the festive period.
However, the rise of Covid-19 cases in the past few days has jerked authorities into action and it seems like they will be putting a tighter leash on entertainers.
As a matter of fact, the powers that be have already shown their intention of punishing creatives who violate Covid-19 regulations with the arrest and prosecution of promoter Simbarashe “Damma” Chanachimwe along with Chillspot Records bosses DJ Fantan and Levels.
The three were charged for partaking and convening a public gathering during a national lockdown period after they hosted a huge New Year’s eve music gig in Mbare.
While there are numerous other events that might have taken place on the day, I assume this particular gig ended up being the prime target of the law because of its ‘viral nature’. Visuals from the event spread like wildfire on social media platforms and the noise that followed was just too hard to be ignored.
I never thought that someone could actually spend half a year in prison for entertaining his community, but then again, I am not a law expert.
Even though this was meant to serve as an example to future offenders, I still feel like the sentence was a bit hash. They could have been made to pay a fine or given community service.
With all these developments that have been unfolding, I don’t think we will be seeing much activity on the entertainment scene anytime soon.
I was trying to put myself in the shoes of a club DJ whose income is probably dependent on the number of slots he has per week and the number of patrons that are actually coming to the joints where he plays. I would have to spend the whole of January at home, but still have to pay rent at the end of the month and buy food as well. How will I be managing during the lockdown?
While many creatives have been making use of digital platforms to continue pushing their work, it has just been for relevance rather than financial benefit for the greater part.
In countries which have solid entertainment industry structures, entertainers might not be making as much as they would in an environment which allows live shows, but they can actually survive from other streams.
The same cannot be said for the Zimbabwean scene where just a few can say that they are making serious money from digital platforms (YouTube, Spotify, iTunes e.t.c).
Government and other relevant bodies must find a way to intervene and come up with solutions that will ensure that those in the culture industry do not starve during this torrid period.
I just pray and hope that the situation improves as the year progresses because at the moment I am not seeing any positive signs.
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