The Sunday Mail
Leisure Editor —
LAST Wednesday, artistes whose works stood out in the various Coca-Cola-sponsored programmes on radio and television were honoured in Harare.
The works of art, which included videos and audio songs, saw the creative minds behind them scooping various prizes including cash running into thousands of dollars.
Those who correctly predicted the winning songs also walked away with cash prizes, having been transported and accommodated by the sponsor.
It dawned on me that Coca-Cola, which started sponsoring the Top 50 competition in 1980, has over the years poured hundreds of thousands – if not millions of dollars – into Zimbabwe’s arts industry.
If only Zimbabwe could have more companies like Coca-Cola, theatre would be thriving and dance companies like Tumbuka would not be shutting down.
Chipawo, an arts education for development and employment organisation, would be touring the world and producing even more stars.
Children in schools would take their arts-related studies more seriously, knowing full well that there was a living to be made in performance.
While Coca-Cola has done well, this should be a lesson to other big companies out there to invest not only in the arts but in sport as well and other activities that help lift communities.
At the prize presentation ceremony, Coca-Cola market activations manager Vee Chibanda said the company remained committed to supporting local artistes.
She spoke of the satisfaction Coca-Cola drew from bringing musicians and music lovers together locally and internationally.
“We invest in music in order to excite the Coca-Cola consumers who are brought together by music. This programme is meant to reward our local musicians, as well as provide them with avenues to exhibit their talents. The music awards is one of the many ways in which the Coca-Cola Zimbabwe Company and its bottling partners, namely Delta Beverages, Schweppes Zimbabwe and Mutare bottling company ploughs back to the Zimbabwean community.
“Coca-Cola’s relationship with entertainment industry is well documented. The Coca-Cola Radio Zimbabwe Top 50 sponsorship started in 1980 while Coke on the Beat TV programme commenced in 1984. It may have skipped some seasons but it’s still with us,” she pointed out.
The company continues to give back through such initiatives as the Coca-Cola weekly Top 20 on Radio Zimbabwe.
The Top 20 culminates into the annual Coca-Cola Top 50 awards while the TV awards feed out of the top television weekly presentation, Coke on the Beat.
Coke Studio is another new initiative, which has seen local musicians benefiting in this Africa-wide show. So far Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, Amara Brown and Buffalo Souljah have featured in the first two episodes, along with other African stars.
Muranganwa Svosve, a previous winner in the predictions contest, was also present at last week’s ceremony, where again he walked away with an expensive gadget having done the same in 2014.
It may appear small, even insignificant in the broader sense, but Svosve’s life has been changed by Coca-Cola.
The Coca-Cola- ZBC Top 50 music and Video awards are an annual music ceremony in which viewers and listeners vote for their favourite songs, which would have done well during the course of the year.
Unlike other music award ceremonies where panels of experts are responsible for choosing winners, this one is unique as it belongs to the viewers and listeners.
Fans are empowered to select songs and videos of their choice through a voting mobile phone SMS platform. The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverages company.
