Bruce Ndlovu
Fans of live musical entertainment will this weekend be treated to the best as a troop of top notch musicians pay a visit to the city during the customarily busy Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) period.
The ZITF has over the years become a great opportunity for promoters and night spots to cash in on the annual event that never fails to bring excitement to the City of Kings.
Typically as in past years, this weekend will have everything for everyone, with promoters using artistes from various genres to win the hearts and wallets of revellers in the city. Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, Kid X, Bucie and Jeys Marabini are just some of the entertainers that will illuminate Bulawayo this weekend.
However, while many will welcome the presence of top performers in the city, others will note that such entertainment is not available for people in the City of Kings throughout the rest of the year.
While shows by big artistes, both local and international, used to be held regularly in the city, this has not been the case in recent times as promoters target specific periods throughout the year to bring top performers.
Besides the ZITF, promoters also target the festive season, the Easter period, the Heroes and Defence Forces holidays and the weekend after the end of exams in November to bring big name artistes.
The perception is that holding shows at other times in the year is too big a risk for the promoters as fans are likely to stay away. This approach however, is starving Bulawayo of top notch live performers as the city steadily turns into a city where DJs are the sole source of entertainment.
According to local promoter Joe Tha OG, this approach has been adopted because of the dwindling numbers at most shows held in the city.
a�?Over the years the number of people who come to shows has been rapidly declining and so promoters are also only reacting to that. Minimising risk is part of the job and in Bulawayo that means targeting certain periods of the year,a�? he said.
Mduduzi Mdlongwa of 3D Events is however, of a different view, as he believes most shows flop in Bulawayo because of promotersa�� failure to bring the right kind of artistes.
a�?How a show will be received depends on the artistea��s selection and timing. If you bring the right artistes it does not matter what time of the year it is. We brought Winky D in January when everyone was talking about the January disease and the show was a hit.
a�?I wouldna��t do a show in these busy periods because they are congested and people have a lot to do. For example, we brought Black Coffee in December and we made less money in comparison to our other events,a�? he said.
