Clive Malunga

Turn Your Potential into Stardom: Don’t “Arrive ” before You “Actually Arrive”.

You might recall that in a previous article, I narrated how the late John Chibadura treated me like a brother early in my musical career. As my way of paying homage to the memory of John, you may also remember how I quickly acted when I heard about the challenges his sons were facing in trying to establish themselves in the music industry. I contacted them and solemnly promised the Chibadura family, especially John (Junior), Simba and Knowledge that I would do everything in my power to support them in realising and achieving their music goals. For me, assisting others to unlock their full potential and witnessing them thrive in their chosen careers is very self-fulfiling.

To make good my promise, I went out of my way to meet their career development needs. I made arrangements for their band to come for rehearsals in Harare. I rented a cottage for their band’s rehearsals at a monthly cost of US$300, provided food and drink during rehearsals and met the transport cost for the group members to commute from and to Domboshava.  I bought clothes for the whole band of eight members, I further provided the band with new musical instruments free of charge, and hired for them a sound engineer and film producer who shot and edited their music videos. I paid all studio recording fees including posters and did serious marketing on behalf of the JSK Chibadura and Tembo Brothers music group. Theirs was to attend music rehearsals and work very hard towards achieving their goal of becoming a household name in the music industry, hence preserving the legacy of their father, the late John Chibadura.

I assured the JSK Chibadura Brothers that they were in safe hands, because besides being a student of marketing, I acquired a lot of experience through organising Jenaguru Music Festivals where up to fifty musical groups would perform under my leadership. Obviously, promoting just one musical group would be a stroll in the park. Prior to making this commitment with JSK Chibadura and the Tembo Brothers, my confidence had just been boosted because  I had finished editing a Nesango animation film. I had sent a copy of the animation film to the former Chief Executive Officer of the Culture Fund, Mr Farai Mpfunya, who among many other positive comments described me as a leader. He didn’t give the reason why he thought I was a leader but he openly praised the film for being “packed with craftsmanship.” His comments motivated me to start studying leadership. I purchased books on the subject from John C. Maxwell who is considered a guru on the subject.

There are quite a number of things I wanted to achieve through the promotion of the JSK Chibadura Brothers. I wanted to push them up the musical ladder so that I could introduce them to my East Asian market, particularly, Korea and Japan. I have a very huge fan base in that part of the world. I also wanted to prove  a point to all the Jenaguru fans that I am still well and kicking and  able to organize at the highest level. I also planned to raise money from a tour of  East Asia with the Chibadura Brothers to build a Chibadura house in Chitungwiza (as part of the restoration of the Chibadura legacy). 

The promotion of the JSK Chibadura Brothers was also a reminder to Zimbabweans that I have what it takes to lead the Ministry of Arts and Culture. My curriculum vitae says it all. Successful promotion of JSK Chibadura was also meant to remind ZANU (PF) elites that they could not elbow me out of the music arena. All sober people now know how the ZANU (PF) regard me as an enemy of the state because I dare speak for the oppressed. Now,  I am no longer invited to any state function such as Heroes Day and Independence Day.

As the rehearsals progressed, I was busy trying to find venues where the group would perform. I approached the Chief Executive Director of the Hotplate Grill House restaurant, Chikonamombe, who was about to open a new outlet along Belvedere Road opposite Jenaguru Arts Centre. I offered to perform for free, on the occasion of the official opening of the restaurant. I wanted to take advantage of the restaurant’s proximity to Jenaguru Arts Centre and the band’s rehearsal room. That same week Chikonamombe called me and informed me that the restaurant was officially opening that day. I rushed to the rehearsal room and informed the band that we should go and perform for free as a way of showcasing our talent and the music group. Chikonamombe assisted us with transport to carry our musical instruments. I encouraged the whole band to give their best because, as I told them, in showbiz you never know who may be sitting among the audience. There might be promoters, venue owners and well-wishers. The management and audience were happy with the performance. Chikonamombe told me that he was happy with the group’s performance and the clear sound that was pleasing to listen to that came from our brand-new instruments.

The JSK Chibadura guys looked very smart on stage. I had packaged every aspect of the performance in a very professional way because I also wanted to safeguard the Jenaguru brand. We were assisted once more to carry our instruments back to our rehearsal place which was about 500m from Jenaguru Arts Centre. I was very happy with the performance. Many in the audience told me that JSK Chibadura and Tembo Brothers had a bright future in the music industry. Such kind of messaging gave me hope and strength. I celebrated the positive feedback  but soon realised that my colleagues did not share the same happiness. Naturally, I asked the members why they were sad after such a good performance. One band member told me that others were suspecting that I had been paid for the performance but I was trying to keep all the proceeds for myself. I was totally perplexed to hear such accusation after all the hard work I was putting into helping the group. I struggled to comprehend the misalignment between my intentions and their perceptions. As an elder, I asked five members of the band, including all the three Chibadura Brothers to accompany me to Hotplate Grillhouse. In their presence, I asked Chikonamombe to narrate the whole story from the time we first met until the performance day. In doing this I hoped to clear my name, earn the band members’ trust and to prevent the spreading of false rumours.  Chikonamombe set me free by telling the boys exactly what had happened (and as I had told them). I was not angry with the guys, but I could not believe they could have such ideas towards someone who was spending around US$500 per month towards their upkeep.

The day after the performance, Chikonamombe called me to his restaurant for a discussion. Without losing any time, I hurried to his office. He told me that the whole management was very happy with JSK Chibadura ‘s performance. He said he was pleased to advise me that he was going to sign a contract with JSK Chibadura and Tembo Brothers. The band would perform every Friday. In addition to the performance fees, the group members would also be provided with food and drink after every performance. Having learnt from what had just happened, I went straight to the rehearsal room to deliver the good news to the group. I told them that Knowledge Chibadura would sign the contract as the band leader, while his two younger brothers would sign as witnesses. I assured the group that the hefty package was for their eight-member group excluding myself. The band members were excited. At last, they were going to make a living through their Friday performances at Hotplate Grillhouse. The band started performing every Friday and our audience was getting bigger with each passing week.

Then Chikonamombe called me again. He told me he felt sorry for me for shouldering the burden of meeting rehearsal expenses for the band alone. To that end, he offered to provide food and drink for any 2 days per week during the band’s rehearsals. The band would rehearse from Tuesday up to Friday, the performance day. On Friday they would start performing at 6pm. Chikonamombe’s intervention really brought some relief on me- he is such a great guy , and I heartily thanked him.

The first and second weeks were very interesting. We enjoyed food and drink every Tuesday and Thursday. On the third week I realised we had a new face in the line-up. The guys had invited their friend to come and enjoy a free meal. That marked the beginning of so many problems. I told the whole group that it was not proper for them to invite their friends to come and benefit from Chikonamombe’s sincere contribution towards the welfare of the group. I reminded them that the offer had been given to Jenaguru Arts Centre in their capacity as the ones who were managing JSK Chibadura and Tembo Brothers. I pleaded with them not to tarnish my image as an elder managing them. If Hotplate Grillhouse discovered that the band was abusing their generosity, the blame would squarely come to me. Not long afterwards, the group started inviting a friend to the rehearsal room. Once again, I told them that it was unprofessional to bring friends to work. However, all my entreaties fell on deaf ears.

I decided to have a meeting with JSK Chibadura minus other band members. This was after one band member had said they would want to engage someone to cook for them. He had also said the friend wanted to learn how to play musical instruments and that he was prepared to teach him because he was a good friend. In our meeting I realised that the radio, television and press promotion was getting into their heads. I could see that their attitude was now of superstars who could stand on their own without the advice of others. The rift that was being created by the band members’  misunderstanding of basic issues was threatening to server the connection I was labouring to build.

Meanwhile, Chikonamombe called me again and informed me that the contract was to be expanded to include Hotplate Grillhouse Seventh Street and Samora Machel branch. We would perform on Saturday. The graph was ascending but discipline within the group was descending. One day, feeling very stressed, I went to town and bought bread, milk and polony for their breakfast. They enjoyed their breakfast and I excused myself because I wanted to go to Msasa. One of the band members followed me and said that he wanted to take me half way. I thought that was a good gesture, only to discover that the band member wanted a dollar from me to buy marijuana. I could not believe my ears. To say I was shocked is an understatement! I think I am older than his father. And for the young man to have the guts to ask me for some money to buy marijuana, I thought he was going too far. I then realised the kind of people I was dealing with. I told the other band members about the incident. The whole band knew that I neither drink alcohol nor smoke. My life is guided by Christian principles.

Towards the end of the year 2022, JSK Chibadura was trending on every platform. The group managed to get a remarkable top 5 position in the Radio Zimbabwe Top 100. Alick Macheso took pole position and walked away with US$2,000, Mark Ngwazi came second and won US$1,500, Simon Mutambi came third and pocketed US$1,000 and JSK Chibadura came fourth and got US$750. For a new musical group that was a great achievement. I told them to go to Pockets Hill, Highlands to receive their prize. I asked them to come directly to me after receiving their money. I wanted to ask them to use only $10 from their prize money to buy their mother a scarf (dhuku) and wrapping cloth (chari). It works like magic. If you want to succeed in life, honour your mother and father. In their case, their father is no more and I wanted to remind them of their responsibility towards their mother. They refused to listen. After receiving their prize, they went on a shopping spree and did not turn-up for rehearsals for two days.

Their friend continued coming to the rehearsals. I continued reminding them not to bring friends to work. When I told them for the umpteenth time without results, I decided to pack my things including all instruments and return everything to Jenaguru Arts Centre. I did so quietly without shouting at anyone or provoking any of the band members. Their mother phoned me to apologise on their behalf but my relationship with the boys had irretrievably broken down. I had desperately wanted this group to succeed and I was prepared to invest a lot of material and network resources to see the group prosper. However, through this whole drama I learned the necessity of quiting in order to allow new opportunities to emerge for both the group and myself. Sad though the parting was, I had to be brave enough to embrace the reality.

The other thing I learned during the years I worked with JSK Chibadura and Tembo Brothers, was that a lot needs to be done to capacitate musicians. There is need for workshops, seminars and regular training to inform and build a better music industry. There is lack of knowledge and understanding about how the music industry should operate.

I was lucky that when I was 14 years old and was in grade 7, the welfare department of Norton Rural Council sent me to Domboshava Training Centre where I was taught youth leadership skills. The short leadership skills courses which were moderated by Mr. Hebert Nyaude were mostly conducted during school holidays. By 1974, I had become a wonderkid in Norton. That’s the time I started playing soccer for Norton United Football Club’s A team. The youth leadership training introduced me to marketing and public relations, which I ended up pursuing up to graduate level.

Our arts industry is currently in a mess due to lack of leadership. The woman at the helm of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, although a swimming icon, has no knowledge whatsoever about how to run an arts and culture ministry because she doesn’t understand African Culture. It appears Mr. Mnangagwa appointed her to give his government an appearance of inclusivity since she is white. For the arts and culture portfolio, the lady performs embarrassingly far below average. Coventry’s  only consolation,  is  that she has large company. Most of Mnangagwa’s ministers perform below par because they were chosen on patronage basis rather than on merit. The arts and culture portfolio begs  for a person with better skills and knowledge of Zimbabwean arts and culture.

Instead of using my vast wealth of knowledge in the arts sector for the benefit of the country, the government of Zimbabwe has been attempting to suffocate me so that I completely disappear from the arts and music scene. It was the government who destroyed my well-organized Jenaguru Music Festival. The same government blocked me from using brand new broadcasting equipment donated to Jenaguru Arts Centre by NHK Radio of Japan.  The government again blocked a donation of US$14 Millon dollars which the Netherlands embassy wanted to give towards the construction of Jenaguru Arts Centre.  After securing the donation on my own, the government demanded that the Royal Dutch Embassy stop funding the project. They again ,  at another time, attempted to block my tour of Japan. Finally, they demolished many structures I had built at Jenaguru Arts Centre.  How can a whole government be so much obsessed with destroying an individual to the extent of blocking and demolishing projects that could transform  lives of hundreds of citizens for the better?

In spite of all these challenges, I believe that the arts industry will rebound. Against all odds, Jenaguru Arts Centre will be rebuilt according to the original concept. You can never suppress a good idea for ever. Its time will come and is soon arriving.

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