The Sunday Mail
Of the few Zimbabwean entertainers that conduct international tours (never mind their status locally), only a handful have returned home with smiles on their faces.
Most have been duped in the process incurring terrible losses while others have had to be content with the “merriment” of crossing borders.
Last week, sungura maestro Alick “Cheso” Macheso was forced to abandon two gigs in South Africa (SA) after the supposed promoters David Mutasa and longtime buddy Simba Gukutu started dithering at the eleventh hour with regards to payment of the artiste.
Macheso performed in Johannesburg a fortnight ago and was also scheduled to perform in Pretoria and Durban last weekend.
The programme was, however, abandoned after it emerged the two promoters did not have the required deposits (R20 000 per show) for Orchestra Mberikwazvo to perform.
Against this background, scores of people have been questioning why the veteran musician went on to travel to South Africa without first finalising business talks with the concerned promoters as required by standard procedure regarding shows of this nature.
What baffles many is the fact that Cheso seems not to be learning from past mistakes.
In 2005, his United Kingdom (UK) tour suffered a hiccup when he was allegedly ordered off the stage in the middle of a show in Wolverhampton because the promoter had left without paying for the venue let alone the group.
But Orchestra Mberikwazvo’s assistant manager Jatiel “Jethro” Machanja counters.
He argues the popular sungura outfit has for a long time not been offside on this regard. Jethro blames the South African based promoters for venturing into unscrupulous business practices in the process bringing the group’s name into disrepute.
“We had already agreed on everything until the promoters (Chitata and Gukutu) decided to shift goal posts. Johannesburg promoters paid our deposits before we left Zimbabwe.
And because we had already crossed the border we decided to cut costs by extending our stay in SA so that we fulfilled the Pretoria and Durban gigs,” he said.
It is understood that Chitata and Gukutu were literally broke and intended to finance the gigs through selling tickets before the shows.
“The guys tried to take advantage of us. If we were in Zimbabwe we would not have left base unless all necessary requirements were met.
“They knew we were in Johannesburg and wanted to use the development to arm-twist us so that we by-pass simple business rules,” added Jethro.
Dendera musician Suluman Chimbetu aka Captain Sulu learnt the hard way.
He found himself stuck in the UK after being duped by a promoter who ironically had pulled a similar stunt on his uncle Allan a year or so earlier.
Following the development, the Dendera crooner has developed a sharp screening system for foreign gigs.
Last week, he turned down an offer to perform in the UK after the promoters failed to prove their sincerity.
But while others have faced challenges in performing on foreign soils, the same cannot be said for the likes of senior superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, Mokoomba and mbira diva Hope Masike.
The aforesaid artistes seem not to have challenges in booking and fulfilling foreign assignments. However, while it is generally agreed that Tuku rakes in mega bucks during his tours, the situation is not the same for his counterparts.
The group Mokoomba spends much of its time abroad but have very little to show for it.
“Our group has a better following outside hence we tend to make more from our international tours. Foreign gigs are an advantage not only to us but every group in the country since they help break monotony on the otherwise small market that we have. Foreign tours help broaden a group’s fan base as they are billions of people that leave outside our borders,” said Mokoomba band manager Marcus Gora.
He adds: “ . . . on foreign tours, groups make more money depending on the power of the brand and festivals or gigs that they engage in. We are making enough to live a comfortable life but we cannot be compared to touring giants like Dobet Gnahore and Salif Keita.
Masike notes that chances of making money abroad are just as equal as home.
She pointed out the merits of the gigs depended on types and arrangement.
This year she has visited more than eight countries among them Austria, France, Germany, Norway, USA, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
“There are different types of gigs ranging from club/restaurant gigs, festival gigs, personal concert gigs, national gigs, corporate gigs, charity gigs etcetera. Whether international gigs yield more profit than local gigs all depends on your type of music and the musician you are.
But in my case, both markets (domestic and international) are the same,” she explained.
The musician who has been touring for close to five years notes that caution is required when dealing with promoters to avoid losses on international ventures.
Most of her foreign gigs are organised by agents though she at times organise her solo shows with the help of sponsors.
“The promoter or an organiser inviting an artiste has to cover all costs. That is the standard procedure when an artiste travels unless he/she has other sponsorship avenues like Government and company endorsements. Most of us cannot afford to use our personal funds to travel across continents,” said Masike.
According to experts, international shows need not to be organised abruptly.
The gigs, they say, should be booked months or a year ahead to avoid confusion.
