Euro tours have not made us rich : Iyasa

13 Sep, 2015 - 00:09 0 Views

The Sunday News

Mbongeni Msimanga Sunday Leisure Correspondent
THEY are probably one of the most travelled music groups in the country as they have been to almost every country in Europe on tours and cultural exchange programmes but that does not mean they are filthy rich as many may be misled into thinking. Yes, Bulawayo’s theatre and dance group Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) has been synonymous with travelling. It has been known to be globe-trotting and its members have been able to fend for their families through the tours.

But the misconception among the country’s populace has been that once one goes overseas they at least should change their lifestyles as they are assumed to come back home a little different from when they went out of the country.

Reality, however, is quickly sinking in as most people now have relatives who are living abroad who are worse off than those in the country in terms of money and possessions.
But who said money can be picked on the streets when people go abroad?

Amid all the glitz and glamour associated with life in the diaspora, there has been a misconception by people that each time one goes to the diaspora to work they are bound to make a “quick buck” and come back rich.

This has been so with Iyasa, it has often been thought to be bagging money each time they travel on their long winding tours to Austria and other parts of the world.
Most artistes in Zimbabwe have joined this bandwagon of seeking greener pastures abroad to earn a living as the industry in Zimbabwe is not very lucrative.

In an interview with Sunday Leisure, Iyasa founder and director Nkululeko Dube said it was a misconception that artistes who go and perform abroad would come back rich.
The Iyasa director said their tours to Europe brought in a lot of opportunities to artistes. However, the money they earn from their performances does not meet their needs.

He said money has never been known to be picked once people travel out of the country emphasising that they really work very hard to get whatever amount they get. Dube said it had more to do with opportunities to grow the brand and artistic knowledge than money that they would be focusing on.

“People still believe that if you go to Europe, you will find the streets awash with money. There are a lot of opportunities out there but it still does not mean that you will be rich. It is still a struggle for artistes,” he said.

Iyasa has also made significant progress in establishing their brand in Europe and their recent tour to Europe saw them perform the famous Do You Jodel which has been receiving a lot of attention from the media.

Dube said the play, directed by Flo Staffelmayr and choreographed by Natalie Fend mainly targeted young people as it articulated issues to do with culture and race stereotyping.
“We have received a lot of coverage from the Austrian media because of our play Do You Jodel. Iyasa is now regarded as a brand in Europe and the play mainly looks at European life from an African perspective in a satirical way,” he said.

As their wings continue to spread across Europe, the group toured five countries this time, that are Czech Republic, France, Spain, Australia and Austria where they have established their brand significantly through partnerships with other artistes in that country.

Although not much has been done to promote children’s plays in Africa, Dube said it was time for playwrights to tap into African theatre.
“This time it was historic that Iyasa toured five countries and indeed we spread our wings. We have managed to build a brand especially in Austria. But I think of concern should be children’s plays that are not really being looked at in the national arts scene. It is time playwrights take note of this,” he said.

Another play that has got significant recognition from the Austrian audience is Sleep Well, Sweet Moon and it has proved to be popular with the youthful audience.

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