Musicians feel sting of poor rains

Dennis Chimanzi

ERRATIC rains received throughout the country are giving some local musicians sleepless nights.

Yes, some are farmers and worried just like their counterparts, but there is more to their concerns.

There is a group of singers that is hardly visible in big towns and cities yet popular on the outskirts — farms, mines and growth points.

Names that quickly come to mind include Simon Mutambi, Sugar Sugar, Ronnie Mudhindo, Tatenda Pinjisi, Nicholas Zacharia, First Farai, Kapfupi and Somandla Ndebele.

These musicians attract multitudes of fans whenever they perform in the peri-urban, rural and mining areas.

Apart from their animated live acts, pulsating and thirst-quenching compositions, the artistes are also adored for being “flexible” on admission charges.

In towns and cities, when a reveller does not have the required admission fee or anyone to pay for them, the next easy route is to stay home.

Well, that is not the case on the outskirts, where several options are made available to pleasure seekers.

Farm produce — a bucket of soya beans, maize, live chickens or goats, among other things — are a form of currency that can guarantee one a good outing.

Many artistes who frequent the areas are comfortable with this arrangement, which has been in existence for years.

However, a good number of them fear the looming poor harvest is going to leave them high and dry — talk of dry fields and silent stages.

“Farming and mining communities are our rich hunting grounds. However, we are worried that we will not be getting the usual numbers this time around due to the poor rains we received this farming season,” Simon Mutambi’s manager, Darlington Kachere, told The Sunday Mail Society.

“Signs have already started showing. Unlike in past years, farmers are hesitant to offload their grains for pleasure.”

It is said the musicians later sell the “harvested” farm produce — grains, chickens, goats et cetera — in big cities at higher prices, while in some instances they keep the produce for personal use.

Kachere said they were looking for alternative ways around the predicament, just like they did during the Covid-19-induced lockdowns.

“Foreign trips are our next best option,” he said.

“Saina” hitmaker Tatenda Pinjisi also acknowledged being in a fix. The Holy Super Sounds frontman narrated his dismal flop in Banket recently.

“It is very rare to see our band performing in big cities. We concentrate on the outskirts, where competition is not very stiff. But the crop situation is not pleasing in many places, which naturally creates a problem for us,” said Pinjisi.

“When there is a good harvest, we always smile all the way to the bank. I recently played in Banket and the turnout was pathetic. I could see fans, the majority of them farmers, wanted to be part of the show but they did not have the means. They often prefer to trade grains for attendance.”

Orchestra Vazvamburi frontman Ronnie Mudhindo shared similar sentiments.

“The well has dried up for us. We pray for a better farming season in the coming months.”

Veteran sungura singer Nicholas “Madzibaba” Zacharia said he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.

“There are high chances that our shows on the outskirts will not be a success. Personally, I will have to limit the number of shows I do outside the city. Imagine the trouble you will have to go through when you travel to Karoi with a band and the show flops!

“I am also a farmer and equally troubled by the current state of affairs in our fields. During the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns affected us music-wise but I was a bit financially stable because of my farming activities,” said Zacharia.

The singer notes this time he will not get a decent harvest.

Mark Ngwazi recently ventured into farming in Mashonaland West.

Like other farmers, he secured a loan that he hoped to fully service after a good harvest. However, things appear to be going south for him.

“Well, I guess it is double trouble for me. I have issues of poor show turnouts to deal with, while, at the same time, my crops are not in a good state. How will I pay back the farming loan?” Ngwazi asked.

Revered music promoter Patson “Chipaz” Chimbodza said erratic rains affect everyone in the country.

“Showbiz always comes alive during the tobacco selling season. It is the same case when people harvest wheat, maize, sugar beans and many other crops.

“In farming towns like Marondera, Chinhoyi and Mazowe, many of our followers are farmers. And when we host shows, we have people that offer supporting services, who will be affected should gigs flop or get cancelled,” explained Chipaz.

Another music promoter, Patrick Matadi, who is based in Marondera, notes caution is crucial at such stages.