Kudos to Jacobs Events

History will be written tomorrow when the country witnesses a once-upon-a-time creative workshop.

Scheduled for the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, Jacobs Events in partnership with Bridge Afric has organised the event which is also part of Bridge Afric’s Southern Africa launch of its global initiative. It has its footprints in France, East and West Africa and other parts of Europe.

The event is a rare opportunity where some of the movers and shakers of the music industry in the region will converge in one place.

These include Bridge Afric president Victoria Nkong, All Africa Music Awards president Michael Dada, Hiptv CEO Ayo Animashaun and DJ Neptune of Nigeria. There will also be representation from equally other forceful industry entities such as Trace TV team.

After all the interactions and knowledge exchange, the visiting team will be accorded a chance to sample some of the country’s top acts such as Lulu, Che Kalonda, Phyzix, Tay Grin, AidFest and Kineo.

There is no better platform for the artists to market their art than this one. Here is a group of people who have made names for some of the biggest names in the trade at the moment, boasting one of the widest networks.

The line between making it big and failure is so thin and it is such platforms that break small margins. It is hoped that our artists will use both their time on stage and the interactive space to the maximum.

It should not just be a matter of taking pictures with the industry gurus and post them on their social media handles for likes. No! Let them take it as an opportunity that can transform their lives for good by learning a thing or two from them.

Kudos to Wendy Harawa and the Jacobs Events team for this space. Come again please!

And then…

Inside the week I received some feedback and views from one of the readers of this column. The tone from his submission talked of someone with deep passion for the arts. I have been compelled to reproduce it here verbatim.

My name is Chisomo Malanda from Area 25, Lilongwe. I am one of the ardent followers of your column. I thought I could take advantage of your platform to register my concern on some particular issue. I hope we can help each other share our views.

I have always taken special interest in the youthful art groups that are sprouting all over the country. I take special interest in the dancing troupes which are also very common here in Area 25 where I stay. The guys are really good and some have even been hired to perform outside the country.

But in my observation, I have noted some form of exploitation that I feel is not good for their artistic growth. You will find that some people do hire these groups to perform or to perform as back up acts for some artists.

At the end of the day, all they get is a ride in some coaster or just a bottle of Fanta and a scone. This is happening more often. I have seen big artists, whom I don’t want to mention here, being behind this malaise as well.

Ever since we had our first television station in Malawi, we have seen a lot of youths being paraded in different productions, but there has been nothing to show for them. All they care, is to have them shown on television. This is a clear sign of exploitation.

What happens here is different from the practice elsewhere where the artists have their permanent support dance teams. Here we have other artists who have even earned themselves a bad reputation of giving out K500 to these youths. I think it is time these artists started respecting the craft of these youthful groups.

This is what I wanted to raise with you because it is a growing trend which is worrisome. I hope by using your column, the matter can get some attention.

Thanks Chisomo for your well aligned thoughts. We pray that the people behind this exploitation will get a piece of your impassioned views and take necessary action for the betterment of the art. Please write again.