Raisedon Baya
COVID-19 is still with us and the lockdown has been extended by another two weeks. We had hoped to be back bearing good news for both artistes and the sector at large. In fact, we had hoped the pandemic would go and everything would be back to normal — performance spaces open, travel and tours back on course and life back to what we used to know before the pandemic came. However, it seems the only good news we are bringing is the coming in of the vaccines, the continued positivity in their uptake and the hope that it will play an important role in driving the pandemic away or at least lessen the mortality among our population and bringing back normalcy to our lives.
Unfortunately, due to its mutating nature more vicious and deadly variants have been setting in, in phases and new killer strains have been common. We are in the middle of daily death notices coming from all directions with another two weeks national lockdown having been pronounced — the sum effect of lockdowns is now known by most of us. It is public knowledge that artistes are not considered as essential workers and so most artistic activities save for those recorded before the pandemic are being showcased or consumed by the public. This alone spells disaster for many artistes and the sector in general.
To say the pandemic has been destructive and disruptive would be an understatement. Millions of lives have been lost the world over. Millions of jobs have also been lost the world over. Businesses have stood still. The future has never looked so bleak. In Zimbabwe, and even the world over, the arts sector, which relies mostly on bringing people together, has been one of the hardest hit. As we write we are wondering how artistes are surviving as it is? How have they survived for a whole and still counting without any meaningful work or meaningful relief from Government or anywhere. We wonder how the sector has coped Will it survive the pandemic or all the gains achieved after independence will be wiped away leaving the sector to start again from zero? The truth is that the future doesn’t look good at all.
Proponents of the disruptive theory have quickly argued that the pandemic is a perfect opportunity for artistes to explore other revenue streams or to fully embrace digital platforms to market their work. True that. There is really need to find new and alternative revenue streams, not just for artistes but everyone in general. But with every sector in the same boat how is one going to find new revenue streams — from where and which sector? It is also true that artistes need to create visible digital footprints.
We need to see a lot of local content on the several available platforms. However, it is important that we talk more about monetisation. How are artistes going to make money from the various digital platforms available to them because when all is said and done artistes need to eat, pay rent and take their children to school. They can’t just be all over these platforms for likes and retweets and giving other people something to talk about. They must make a living out of their art or talents. Simple.
In the past we have pointed out the danger of lack of structures and unity of purpose in the arts sector. We have explained how this is dangerous and destructive to the sector. Now that we need proper structures and unity of purpose to survive this pandemic, we are beginning to rue ignoring calls for setting up structures and unity in the sector.
As we write we are currently running in different directions, speaking and acting as individuals when a collective effort would be more effective and fruitful. Unfortunately, by the time we all realise the importance of structures and speaking in a unified voice, that is if we ever do, many lives and careers would have been maimed and destroyed. Maybe the sector itself will be on its knees or in the intensive care unit.