Big Brother Naija season 7 housemate, EloSwag, has emerged as the first Head of House for the season.
This was announced after the Big Brother Naija Level Up housemates had their first Head of House games on Monday evening.
The Level 1 and Level 2 housemates came together to play the HoH games in the arena and Eloswag became the best performing housemate.
Following his performance, Big Brother announced him as the first Head of House for the season.
Level 1 meets Level 2 housemates
The Level 1 housemates met the Level 2 housemates for the first time during the HoH games on Monday evening.
Before the start of the games, Big Brother explained how the housemates happened to be in separate houses in the game.
Before the launch, two housemates were paired and each had their names written on two cards, a black-and-white card and a multi-coloured card.
Housemates with their names in the multicoloured card belongs to the Level 2 house, which are the first set of housemates who came into the show on Saturday.
The one whose name appeared on the black and white card belongs to the Level 1 House, who came into the show on Sunday.
Head of House Games
The HoH games was in two stages. All housemates participated in the first stage while the best five participated in the second stage.
Biggie noted that the winner of the games will emerge as HoH and automatically save his/her fellow Level (1 or 2) housemates from possible eviction.
Cyph, Eloswag, Bryann, Dotun, and Khalid made it into the second stage.
After the round, Eloswag won the stage, making him the first HoH for the season.
Head of House privileges
As Head of House, Eloswag enjoys bragging right as the first ever Head of House for the season.
He also enjoys immunity from possible eviction at the end of the week.
With his emergence, Eloswag has saved the Level 1 housemates from possible eviction.
“The Sacrifice” by South African choreographer Dada Masilo is a fusion of contemporary dance and a ritual dance from Botswana, known as Tswana. Inspired by the innovative rhythms of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” she has brought together twelve dancers and four musicians for the Avignon Festival, 2022.
Born and raised in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo is known for merging classical techniques with African dance steps to create a unique style.
Her latest creation “The Sacrifice” was performed as part of the Avignon international theatre festival in July, 2022.
She was inspired by “The Rite of Spring”, written by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky in 1913 for Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet company.
Originally choreographed by Vaslav Nijinskyt, it depicts various primitive rituals celebrating the advent of spring, after which a young girl is chosen as a sacrifice and dances herself to death. Its première in Paris caused a stir, due to its avant-garde nature.
“I have always liked to mix dances from different cultures. These encounters between cultures sometimes oppose each other,” she told journalist Moïra Dalant for the Avignon Festival, adding that she gets inspiration from that contrast.
“I titled my work “The Sacrifice” because the piece questions the choice we must make collectively of who or what will be sacrificed.”
Masilo explains that this concept resonates with the principle of the collective in the Tswana ritual dance from Botswana which is used for many occasions – from weddings to funerals or in healing ceremonies.
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Exploring the ills of modern society
“‘The Sacrifice” recounts a certain inhumanity of our contemporary world, of its individualistic and discriminating pitfalls,” Masilo says.
“There is no balance, no fairness. We live in an era of every man for himself, in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It is for me to tell a purge, a way of making a clean sweep in order to start again with a neutral and new ground.”
Stravinsky’s score for “The Rite of Spring” contains many innovative features for its time, including experiments in tonality, metre, rhythm, stress and dissonance. Masilo says this strongly impacted the way she approached the choreography.
“I wanted to combine different genres of music, because in the company, we have Tswanas, Xhosa, Zulus. It’s a whole medley of people who speak different languages,” she told RFI’s Muriel Maalouf.
It was important to her to make the work culturally inclusive so that no-one felt left out.
Performing at the Avignon Festival is above all the chance to share her art with a live audience, especially since the Covid pandemic hit the performing arts industry so hard.
“Not being able to dance was harsh. It felt like the biggest sacrifice that I’ve ever made,” she told RFI.
The Big Brother Naija season 7, tagged ‘Level Up’ was officially launched on Saturday and 12 housemates were introduced to the show.
On Sunday, the second set of housemates were welcomed into the house during day two of the launch event.
Fast-rising artistes, Fave and Blaqbonez, also thrilled the fans during the Sunday event, which ushered in another set of 12 housemates.
See list of housemates who joined on Sunday:
Bella
Bella
Bella Okagbue is from Anambra State. She loves to have a good time and describes herself as the life of the party.
Eloswag
Eloswag
Eloswag states that he embodies entertainment and is a dancer.
Doyin
Doyin
Doyinsola David is from Ondo State. she says she is a mixture of Michelle Obama and Cardi B. She’s bringing disrespect to people that don’t respect themselves.
Adekunle
Adekunle
Adekunle promises that he’s bringing in some trouble. He describes himself as a Lagos Island boy.
Allysyn
Allysyn
Allysyn Audu is a model. She came to make a name for herself on the show.
Dotun
Doyin
Oludotun Oloni is from Ekiti State. He promised to bring a high dose of sexiness to the house.
Chomzy
Chomzy
Esther Chuma, also known as Chomzy, is from Imo State.
Giddyfia
Gideon, also known as Gifdyfia, says he’s here for the game; and would ship if he finds a girl that catches his eyes!
Diana
Diana Edobor is a 23-year-old project manager from Edo State.
Hermes
He is in a polyamorous relationship with two girlfriends.
Chi Chi
Chi Chi is an exotic dancer from Edo State.
Sheggz
Segun is a professional footballer and actor.
See list of the first 12 housemates here.
With the new addition, the Level Up season has officially begun with 24 housemates.
In a new twist this year, the second set of housemates was placed in a separate house, different from that of the first 12 housemates.
The house occupied by the first 12 contestants is called the Level Two house while the latest 12 contestants are in the Level One house.
London — It’s a firm principle of Balancing Act’s News Update that we don’t blow our own trumpet. But forgive me for making this week an exception. Manchester University Press published my book Africa 2.0 – Inside a Continent’s Communications Revolution (Russell Southwood) last week.
The book is an ambitious 35-year history of the impact of mobile and internet on Sub-Saharan Africa. It starts with the launch of Miko Rwayitare and Joe Gatt’s Telecel in 1986 in what was then Zaire (now DRC) and comes right up to date with the development of Africa’s digital life and digitally-based start-ups. It covers both the positive (the spread of mobile calling and mobile internet) and the negative (corruption and things like ‘hustle’ culture around start-ups).
It’s written as I’ve always written over the last 22 years: enthusiastic about things that can make a contribution to change but not afraid to call out bad practices or things that have failed. Although it’s a book that contains ideas about why things happened the way they did, it’s very much a set of human stories. I carried out 137 original interviews to ask people why they thought things happened the way they did and to give eyewitness accounts.
Books are hard work to write so why did I do it? The impact of mobile calling and internet on Sub-Saharan Africa is arguably one of the biggest economic and social development stories of the last two decades. And whilst I thoroughly enjoy the weekly ‘smell of the BS and the roar of the crowd’, too much technology writing – and I plead as guilty as the next person – is in the future perfect sense. There is an over urgent sense that something is going to happen ‘real soon now’. And if you work in the industry, I think you’ll find the book helpful in taking a long view of the past before turning towards what the future might hold.
People in tech do not always appreciate that human behavior often changes much more slowly than the rate of new technology development. The reason it’s a human story is because Africans have always defined how they have used technologies and have chosen to use certain things and not others. So for example, although mobile money is undoubtedly one of the continent’s great success stories, Sub-Saharan Africa still has a continuing love affair with cash, which is much more widely used than its digital equivalents.
A great deal has been written about the huge changes bought about by mobile voice but arguably internet will have a profounder impact in the long-term. And we’re only really at the beginning of that part of this double-headed story. So the book looks at the 35-year long arc of change that involves both mobile and internet.
It is a ‘first draft’ history that looks at the forces that drove and opposed these changes. It looks at who has benefitted from them so far and the continuing digital divide in terms of among other things gender, education and literacy and language.
So what’s in the book? The chapter topics are as follows: the rise of mobile calling; bandwidth as the digital economy’s fuel; mobile internet, handsets and apps; mobile money; African digital life; digital’s impact on development; industry corruption, start-ups addressing deep market challenges and doing complexity: making sense of what happened.
As a Balancing Act News Update reader, you are entitled to a 15% discount. Just enter the following code when prompted before checkout: OTH892
In Brief
Cameroon: State-owned fixed and mobile operator CamTel has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to deploy fixed broadband infrastructure and services to new housing projects to promote urban infrastructure development. Journal du Cameroun reports that CamTel has agreed to equip new urban areas, including Olembe and Banga-Bakoko, with telecoms services.
South Africa: South Africans will pay $89M for digital content and services this year through Direct Carrier Billing (DCB). This figure will register a YoY growth rate of 16% over the next four years to reach $159M in 2026, according to the analysis “DCB evolution and trends 2022-2026” carried out by Telecoming, a company specialized since 2008 in monetization technology for sport and entertainment. DCB spending in South Africa represents around 15% of the global market in Africa and the Middle East, placing it as one of the most relevant countries by billing. South Africans currently spend an average of $4.2 per month on digital content. By 2026, this average figure will reach $5.5/month/user. The digital market is largely the one that most stimulates users when it comes to paying for their purchases through the operator. The most popular content paid with DCB is, in this order, video games, videos and music. Specifically, these categories will represent an expense of $86M in 2022. Download document: https://bit.ly/3zjJD9q
Cassava Technologies, Africa’s first integrated tech company of continental scale, announced today that it has secured a US$50 million investment from C5 Capital (C5), a specialist venture capital firm that invests in cyber security, space, and energy security. The investment is part of a broader funding round to accelerate Cassava’s growth. The investment by C5 will contribute to the acceleration of the work that Cassava has undertaken to increase digital connectivity and inclusion on the continent. Cassava will be the go-to market partner in Africa for C5’s cutting edge portfolio companies to deliver best-in-class cyber security, satellite and space technology and clean energy.
South Africa: MTN Group has entered discussions to acquire South African telecoms operator Telkom. The two companies said in separate press releases that ‘discussions are at an early stage and there is no certainty that the transaction will be consummated.’ The deal is likely to face regulatory hurdles, however, as it would effectively create a duopoly in South Africa’s mobile market. MTN is said to have made a bid for Telkom on at least two occasions in the past, dating back at least a decade.
Nigeria: The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has published several draft regulatory documents and invited comments on them from the public and industry stakeholders. The draft legislative documents include: Type Approval Regulations; Guidelines on Short Code Operation in Nigeria; Guidelines on Technical Specifications for the Deployment of Communications Infrastructure; Guidelines on Advertisements and Promotions; and Consumer Code of Practice Regulations. Interested parties have been invited to both make written submissions on the documents by 25 July and participate in public inquiries scheduled for August 2022.
African tech startups raised more funding in the first six months of 2022 than they did across the entirety of 2021, with total investment hitting US$2.275 billion. The seventh edition of Disrupt Africa’s annual African Tech Startups Funding Report, released in January, found 564 startups raised a combined US$2,148,517,500 in 2021, a record for a calendar year. Yet that record has already fallen within the first half of 2022, in which 303 startups banked a whopping US$2.275 billion, meaning 2022 is already the best year ever for investment into the ecosystem. It means the sector is on course to increase total funding raised by 100 per cent year-on-year. Nigeria is leading the way, with 98 companies having raised a combined US$691.8 million since January. This is still short of the US$903,680,000 raised by Nigerian ventures in 2021, though that target is easily surpassable given the current rate of investment.
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Nigeria: The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it has licensed 756 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as at March 2022, out of which 188 ISPs are active.
Angola: Africell Angola – which launched the country’s third mobile network in April covering the capital Luanda – has disclosed that it will expand its network coverage to the provinces of Kwanza Sul and Benguela as early as August, Menos Fios reports. Plans are in progress to install Africell’s infrastructure in the municipalities of Porto Amboim and Sumbe (Kwanza Sul province), and in Lobito, Benguela city and Baia Farta (Benguela province). These projects are running two months later than originally planned, whilst later this year Africell aims to reach further provinces with its own network, namely Huila, Huambo and Cabinda, before expanding to the rest of the country in stages. The report notes that a lack of availability of roaming access to rival Angolan networks has hindered Africell’s expansion progress.
To support the growth of digital finance services in West Africa, IFC announced a partnership with Orange Bank Africa (OBA) to increase access to finance for agents and merchants operating in the mobile money ecosystem. Under the partnership, IFC will provide advisory services to Orange Bank Africa to help the mobile bank develop and test innovative and scalable digital lending products that meet the specific needs of mobile money agents as well as merchants.
Popular singer, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, has been at the receiving end of a deluge of criticisms following his absence from the graduation ceremony of his first son, Boluwatife Balogun.
Boluwatife graduated from Chrisland Schools, Lagos, during the week and his excited mum, Shola Ogudu, took to her Instagram page to share pictures and videos of the ceremony.
However, amidst the celebration, some fans were not pleased that Wizkid missed such an important event in his son’s life.
A follower, Vivi, wrote, “Why is Daddy Wizkid not there. This is not nice at all. Well, congratulations, big boy”
Apara added, “Machala is never available.”
Another fan, Boirymo said, “Wizkid did not come. If it were Zion (the singer’s son with manager, Jada Pollock), he would have been there. Congratulations, our superstar.”
Nancy wrote, “See how happy the child is. I don’t know why I’m pained that his dad is never rooting for him, but it is well.”
Miss Patrick wrote, “Where is Wizkid, or he does not count you as one of his children. This is so bad of him.”
Recall that in 2018, Shola had bashed the singer for not always been there for their son. She went on to share a series of messages she exchanged with the singer which portrayed him as not always been available even during important moments in Boluwatife’s life. At the time, one of her posts read, “Being a mum and a dad, and still manage to slay all at once on a legitimate income. Please, I need my accolades served chilled because it is very well deserved.
Popular actress, Mercy Aigbe, recently took to her social media page to post ‘throwback’ pictures of her wedding to popular marketer and businessman, Kazim Adeoti, which took place some months ago.
Recall that the actress had stirred controversy when she got married to Adeoti, who has another wife based in the United States of America. Amidst a barrage of criticisms, Adeoti maintained that he is a Muslim and is entitled to marry more than one wife.
For several weeks, the new couple was trending on social media but in recent times, the controversy had died down until Aigbe posted the wedding pictures during the week. She added the caption, “Throwback to a beautiful day. Blessed and grateful.”
During the Eid al-Adha celebration some weeks ago, the actress has shared videos showing her performing some ‘wife duties’ at Adeoti’s family house at Oro town in Kwara State, where she was formally accepted into the family as a wife.
Meanwhile, her latest post has continued to stir different reactions on social media.
Another actress, Tayo Odueke, aka Sikirat Sindodo, wrote, “This is so beautiful.”
A follower, Angel Ana, said, “May you continue to experience joy in your marriage always.”
Funke Osotunde added, “Oh, wow! God is truly always merciful. He is a God of second chances. Wishing you all the happiness that you deserve.”
Kemi Bakre wrote, “Why is she doing white wedding? Just go to the registry, have a small get-together and call it a day. After all, it is the second time for both of you.”
Ewatomi simply wrote, “Most of these actresses be looking like dolls in some outfits.”
Another fan, Adenike Debby, wrote, “How I wish you could share this moment with loved ones but circumstances won’t allow. It is well.”
The elderly have a close attachment to the cultural values of their society and are often the most ardent advocates for their preservation. In most families and societies, the generation gap comes as a problem, as the young and the elderly engage in a pull-and-push to assert their respective stances and values.
‘Newri/Eib,’ Tigrigna and Tigre words that mean indecency, are often used by the elderly to tell the young of their wrongdoings. Sometimes, the elderly simply tell you that you are not supposed to do or say something, but when you ask them why they tell you it’s just ‘Newri/Eib’ without giving any explanation. Of course, if you dig deep, you understand why but the lack of explanation tends to cause disagreement between the young and the elderly.
There is no question that the young in Eritrea are rooted in their culture and are bound by the values of their parents and society, but it’s also natural for them to be influenced by their peers and global trends. There are many contentious areas but this article deals with fashion designs.
For the elderly, the wearing of overexposing clothes is ‘Newri/Eib.’ Though the modern style is not new to the Eritrean culture, it strictly requires complete decency. The wearing of miniskirts and ripped jeans, for instance, is incompatible with the traditional decorum. In short, it’s considered ‘Newri/Eib.’
I came across a fashion design group in an exhibition conducted at the hall of the Eritrean Agricultural Professionals Association. As I have mentioned in a couple of articles in the past, a group of talented Eritreans is having a monthly exhibition, which serves as a platform for showcasing products and innovation for five different groups. The groups’ objectives and their products vary. The designers’ group is one of the five groups participating in the exhibition with the objective of expressing and preserving culture while adding the value of modernity to their designs.
Henok Kidane is a young Eritrean designer who has recently joined the Eritrean designers’ group led by designer Abraham Sultan. He is participating in the exhibition as a member of the designers’ group.
Looking at the group’s work, in general, and that of Henok, specifically, reminded me of the clash in fashion between the older and younger generations. Most of the designs that I saw in pictures and at the exhibition incorporated some of the traditional clothes into modern designs. As I later heard from most of the designers in the association, this era in fashion design in Eritrea is a time when designers are struggling to satisfy the desires of the young for modernity and the needs of the elderly to preserve culture. Henok is one of the actors.
The exhibition seeks to lay a stage where designers and other talents express situations, cultures, and values, and the designers’ group tries to transmit national and cultural messages through their works.
According to Mr. Abraham Sultan, the coordinator of the designers’ group, some members of the group excel in traditional designs while others excel in modern designs, and the group provides a common ground for the example of the young and talented Eritrean designers. He started designing five years ago. He has taken courses and has had extensive experience in his design career. He won a golden award at the New Year 2022 designers’ competition of around thirty contestants held at Hotel Ambasoira, Asmara. The 2022 competition was held under the theme “National Brand (trademark) of Development” and sought to express national development values and objectives.
According to Henok, he and his group used to make only traditional clothes. But with global trends overwhelming the local markets of traditional clothes, they were compelled to look for options. For the Eritrean designers’ group, the immediate solution has been blending modern designs with traditional clothes. The designs at the exhibition portray this concept in a varying range of categories.
Designer Abraham, on his part, said that he has a lot of concern regarding the fashion trends in Eritrea. He thinks that the designers do not really utilize their works to introduce and promote their national and cultural values. “We can make Eritrean dresses, gift bags, shoes, accessories, and so on. We are pushing towards that direction now, towards branding our own products,” he said explaining the immediate objective of the Eritrean designers’ group.
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Designer Henok finally said that designing is a medium of expressing thoughts and reflecting creativity. A person is not a designer simply because he can sew. “If designing is all about putting together a piece of cloth, everyone would be a designer. Real design is making a readable cloth, a design where ideas and thoughts of the designer and his identity are portrayed,” he added.
Speaking of their future plans, members of the Eritrean designers’ group admit their shortcomings but aspire to gain more experience and do well over time.
Designer Abraham also said that all is possible if they direct their energies toward a common goal.
Benin City — Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, yesterday, said there was no dispute between the state government and the Palace of the Oba of Benin, His Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, over the return of looted Benin artefacts.
Obaseki, who addressed participants at a stakeholders’ engagement and unveiling of phase one of the Edo Museum of West African Art, EMOWAA, in Benin City, noted: “What is our plan for culture? As a people, we have a lot of assets from our past and it’s our responsibility to recreate them. So, it is beyond just several pieces of artwork; no, it’s beyond that. It is about using that as the contact point to bring out the best of who we are.
“There is a whole lot of research that still needs to be done. We can’t have things about us being explained to us from Europe. Nobody is going to do it for us.
“That is why we must insist that when these works come, we host them here in Edo State, their home, so that it’s available for everybody to see. There is no quarrel with the palace.
“It is not just about us but the people of the state. So, let’s facilitate it so everybody can access and benefit from it.
“I don’t see why we cannot achieve this. So, each and every one of you here, from your Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, have the responsibility to make sure we get the first phase of the EMOWAA done and then, let those coming after us build on what we have started.”
Earlier, Chairman of EMOWAA Trust, Mr. Phillip Ihenacho, said that the core mandate of EMOWAA was to support the preservation of West African heritage and culture.
The seventh season of one of the biggest reality TV shows in Nigeria, Big Brother Naija, is set to premiere on Saturday, July 24, 2022.
Just like the previous season, the BBNaija season 7 launch will hold for two days, July 23 and 24, 2022.
The programme launch, which will involve the introduction of housemates, will be aired across all Africa Magic and BBNaija channels on DStv and GOtv.
The programme premiere will be aired on DStv channels 151, 153, 154, 198, and GOtv channels 2, 6, and 29 by 7:00pm on both days.
Subsequently, the show will air on the 24-hour channels 198 on DStv and 29 on GOtv.
Fans across Africa will also be able to stream via African online streaming service, Showmax.
For this season, media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, returns as the host of the show.
At a media briefing to unveil the new season of the show, the Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr Busola Tejumola, revealed that the company recorded over 40,000 audition entries for BBNaija this season.
She added that this season’s housemates will undergo a psychology evaluation before going into the house.
Tejunmola also stated that some of the other exciting things to expect this season are the pre-COVID-19 elements, including the ninjas and the exciting live audience.
Also, this year’s winner will be walking home with a N100m grand prize— a cash prize of N50m and N50m worth of prizes from the sponsors. In addition, 30 fans of the show will win N1m each in the ‘Fave Lock-In’ promo exclusive to DStv and GOtv customers.
According to her, the show will retain its voting style from last year, as it (voting) will only be on the Big Brother Naija website, mobile site, and the MyDStv and MyGOtv apps for active customers.
The number of votes each subscriber will have will be determined by their subscription packages.
Zimdancehall was once known for its revolutionary lyrics. Now its singers are hyping up businessmen in songs and performing at Zanu-PF rallies.
What started as indistinct chatter of disapproval on the night of 21 May escalated quickly. Crowds had braved the drizzly cold to commemorate Zimdancehall legends and celebrate the tenth anniversary of ChillSpot Records, not to listen to politician after politician gloat about the help they’d allegedly given to the music scene.
The ghetto yuts – a Jamaican term borrowed to refer to young Zimdancehall fans – were fed up. “That’s not what we are here for,” some shouted as bottles flew onto the stage, smashing into fragments.
For observers of Zimbabwe’s music industry, this moment had been a long time coming. For some time now, critics and fans alike have complained that Zimdancehall – a genre that once amplified the muffled voices of the masses – has gradually been hijacked by political and economic elites.
“I cannot even listen to most of the music released nowadays,” says Vincent Musira, a once ardent fan. “Zimdancehall no longer represents ghetto youths. Nowadays, they are chasing what’s trending and the contributions of their sponsors is questionable. If a sponsor is genuine, why would they want to appear on an artist’s music video or be mentioned in a song?”
“A blessing from God to the ghetto”
Zimdancehall, a locally blended spin-off of dancehall and reggae, gained meteoric fame about a decade ago. Despite its sometimes makeshift production, its Jamaican style riddims and grooves became the defining sound of Harare’s poor settlements like Mbare. Its bold and relatable lyrics struck at the heart of many Zimbabweans’ struggles and hopes.
Songs like “Minana” by Soul Jah Love and Cello Culture called out fake prophets at the height of “gospel-preneurship” in 2013. Winky D lamented rampant drug abuse in “Mafira Kureva” or societal immorality in “Pazvikona”. Killer T painted a grim picture of poverty driving young people into crime in “MaSuspects”.
Arnold Kamudyariwa, aka DJ Fantan, was working at a nightclub as the new genre took poor urban areas by storm.
“Back in the day, people would say Mbare is all about crime, prostitution and many other vices. But now when people hear the name Mbare, the first thing that comes to their minds is Zimdancehall,” he says. “Zimdancehall is a blessing from God to the ghetto youths”.
In the early days of the new genre, DJ Fantan co-founded ChillSpot Records with his childhood friends Levels and Ribhe. Together, they transformed his bedroom in the dilapidated Matapi Flats into a recording studio and began nurturing young talent into stars. Similar studios mushroomed elsewhere. From these, artists like Winky D went on to win two international awards as well as countless national gongs. Freeman became a household name across Zimbabwe. Soul Jah Love was declared a national hero when he died aged 31 last year.
“[Zimdancehall] gave ghetto yuts who did not have a future some hope”, says Ras Caleb, one of Chillspot’s first recording artists. “People need to understand that it was a lifeline.”
“Sold for a song”
According to critics, this heyday is well and truly over. They say that the days in which an aspiring unknown could get a slot at ChillSpot studios to blurt out hard-hitting freestyles for free or cheap are long gone. Now, they argue, musicians must sell their soul to promoters and ChillSpot, which has a near monopoly on Zimdancehall records, to get heard. These gatekeepers have the power to make or break a star and have allegedly not hesitated to exercise it, effectively ending the careers of promising artists like Blot and Silent Killer after disagreements.
Coinciding with these shifts, fans also complain that the lyrical content of Zimdancehall has drastically changed. Rather than calling out inequality and corruption, today’s songs almost invariably mention or praise an “mbinga” – i.e. a rich individual, prophet or politician.
Many of the figures being honoured in songs recently are members of Zanu-PF, which already has one eye on next year’s elections. The ruling party’s campaigns have often used music to drum up support in election seasons, but typically using a liberation war narrative. This time, it seems its politicians are looking to use trendy Zimdancehall tunes to target poor urban youth, a demographic that makes up a large portion of the electorate and often sides with the opposition.
“Due to its popularity, Zimdancehall became a target for opportunists who saw a chance to manipulate the vulnerable and uninformed talents,” says music critic Plot Mhako. He says elites have used their wealth and power to co-opt Chillspot and, by extension, the Zimdancehall scene for their own personal gain.
“The mbingas literally usurped the energy,” he says. “They are the main culprits who have worked in cahoots with key industry stakeholders to sell out the genre for a song.”
Fred Zindi, a local academic and music commentator, concurs. “Zimdancehall is on the decline,” he says. “There have been significant changes in the lyrical content as today’s singers are looking out to make money more than to do the ghetto stories of dissing each other.”
Some in the Zimdancehall scene, such as DJ Fantan and Ras Caleb, reject these critiques and insist the genre is as relevant as ever.
“I have stayed in the industry long enough to know that talk is cheap; you cannot stop [critics] from talking,” says DJ Fantan. “Even the day we started recording Zimdancehall, people used to say we would not go far in life, and there was a time when we would be pelted by cans, so we cannot fear comments from ghost accounts [on social media] today.”
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He argues that musicians, some of whom have been criticised for performing at Zanu-PF rallies, continue to respond authentically to what is happening around them. “Zimdancehall is a mirror of the society; it is a reflection, and our artists are like reporters,” he says.
Is Zimdancehall dead?
For many fans, Zimdancehall has lost its way over the past decade as its amateurish production and revolutionary lyrics have made way for commercialised production and a reverence of the rich. Some listeners may have given up on the genre, but others hold out hope of a resuscitation. As the angry response to Chillspot’s ten-year anniversary celebration showed, there are many enthusiasts ready to resist its political takeover.
“Zimdancehall is what the ghetto youths want,” says Munashe Maponga, a passionate fan. “Things are not so great at the moment, but what we need are new artists who will disrupt the current direction it is taking, and the real Zimdancehall will be back.”
Or, as Mhako puts it succinctly: “Zimdancehall is dead but not yet buried.”
Kennedy Nyavaya is a multiple award-winning freelance journalist based in Zimbabwe. His stories have been published in local newspapers including NewsDay and The Standard as well as foreign platforms like Clean Energy Wire (Clew) in Germany.
