Arts views with Thabani H Moyo
THE year 2020 will be remembered as that year the invincible enemy choked over a million people to death. It will also be remembered as a year of lockdowns that were affected across the whole globe.
A year when daily business was disrupted and new ways of carrying on with our lives were to be found amid the fear of catching the corona virus.
Visual and performing arts exhibitions were the most affected, these rely on people gathering at one place and consuming what’s on offer. To break the cycle of infections experts advised that people should maintain a distance from each other.
Gatherings were discouraged as these were cited as accelerating the spread of Covid-19. Zimbabwe was not spared. By the end of March 2020 the government announced a lockdown. All forms of businesses were shut.
The streets, exhibition centres and performance spaces were deserted. This forced artists to abandon their plans. People, including artists, had to destroy the box or risk losing everything in the process.
With the year coming to an end, it is time for artists to reflect on their experiences of this year and project how they will be doing business in 2021. Nkululeko Innocent Dube the director at Iyasa had this to say, “It has been a statement. 2020 has been loaded with challenges for the arts sector. It has been like a refresher course unplugging us from our comfort zone. What happens in 2021 will be the result of the effects or opportunities rising from 2020.’
Dube notes with concern that while other industries are slowly finding new ground the arts ‘are stuck in a lockdown that won’t end anytime soon.’ He further notes that without digital space, ‘our sector could have been washed into oblivion.’ True, most artists had to move their content into digital space with most of them using their Facebook pages.
Matesu Dube the director at Umkhathi Theatre Works had this to say, ‘2020 has been a difficult year for the arts as all live events were cancelled and the arts came to a halt. Our products are online but we are yet to know how we can make money online.’ Adrian of Jahunda community arts is in agreement with Dube. It will appear that online shows have been good for visibility purposes only as they do not come with any income. Instead they are draining the artist’s pockets and in the long run will prove to be unsustainable.
Desire ‘Moyoxide’ Moyo had a mouthful, ‘2020 is a year of bitter pills. It is a year of transformation and rethinking. It is a year that saw shows migrating from being live to online streaming.’ Desire applauded artists for contributing immensely in fighting the pandemic through awareness messages. This they did despite lack of resources and support.
Raisedon Baya director at Intwasa Arts Festival had this to say, ‘2020 has but been on standstill for the arts. Artists did not work. Only a few notable events happened. However what is important is the resolve by many to keep dreaming and hoping the pandemic will end.’ Philani Amadeus Nyoni believes that 2020 ‘has reminded a lot of us what is important. With all the tragedy that we experienced this year I think 2021 will be more purpose driven.’
In his parting shots N.I Dube says, ‘In 2021 we need to think more on making digital spaces friendlier to monetisation and generating a living for the artists. At the moment it has been more like pirating our work voluntarily.’
In summation, 2020 has not been a good year for the Arts Sector. However some events did take place like Bulawayo Arts Festival which was the first festival to go online. CREDISI also followed suit and went online. Victory Siyanqoba managed to produce their play Bhalagwe is burning. In December three festivals happened namely Intwasa Arts Festival, Ibumba Arts Festival and Bulawayo Childfest. It will be interesting to see how artists utilise their 2020 experiences in planning and doing business in 2021.
From the Arts Views desk and Zambezi Times we wish you a Merry Christmas and a fruitful New Year. Meet you on the other side. Stay safe.
