Navigating the Zimbabwean art space is what others might call ‘extreme sports’. It’s just not easy.
While the country is blessed with an abundance of talent, remuneration in the creative industry remains a complex topic of discussion.
There are a number of artistes who have struck gold, managing to reap the rewards of their hard work, but the majority struggle to break even.
In other countries, the corporate community plays a big role in supporting the arts sector, something that the local industry desperately needs.
There are very few artistes who have benefited from corporate support, with endorsement deals hard to come by.
The other worrisome trend is that the few businesses that are willing to tap into the sector are usually fighting for the same artistes which leaves very little room for others to also benefit.
Afro-pop artiste Ishan has called out the corporate community, highlighting that there is a lot of room for partnership between businesses and artistes.
“I remember winning a lot of awards early 2020 and no brand even reached out to say, well here is an artist who we could begin a journey with. Not saying that I was expecting anything, but looking at other countries that’s like something massive,” wrote Ishan on his Twitter handle.
“However it opened our eyes as a team that we had to build our brand tega and create assets that bring in income. Along the road we met brands that were supportive eg @kayseconnect have been really there for us. But yeah I am sure there is room for more of such partnerships,” he added.
Other artistes and fans also added their voices to the post, with most of them in agreement that there is a need for more support in the sector.
I feel you ,all new generation artists have to learn to be self sufficient ,it’s not easy as said ,these partnerships it seems they deal with the top artists mostly ,however ,brands are business ,business has to be well organized 👊🏾
— GMTAlbum 🧑🍳 (@R_peels) February 16, 2021
Imagine with all that exposure we have been hearing the same voices on endorsements since 2010 problem is hapana anoda kusiya zvigaro nyangwe kuEntertainment
— RafikiⓂ (@killmoves17) February 15, 2021
Zimba needs vast changes when it comes to the entertainment sector ,imagin gringo died a poor man but I swear nobody contributed to the sector more than him
— Thin Tall Tukaz 🇿🇼 (@tanakattakawira) February 15, 2021
Despite being one of the hottest artistes back in 2019, with numerous major awards coming his way the following year, Ishan still failed to attract endorsement deals.
There are many other artistes who have left a huge footprint in the arts sector but many brands that could have capitalized on partnering with such never came through.
