The Sunday News
LAST week the national broadcaster (ZBC) called a meeting with Bulawayo artistes in an effort to “re-establish broken links” with the region. This was obviously after the realisation that there was little content from the region on ZBC channels and platforms. This attempt at reconnection with the region might also have been driven by the coming in of other players like DStv’s Zambezi Channels onto the Zimbabwean market.
In fact, the crucial meeting was supposed to be with Bulawayo independent producers, however, the lack of organisation within the arts sector itself presented organisational challenges that made it near impossible for the ZBC executives to meet independent producers only. In the end everyone was invited and the obvious result was a mix masala, one-shoe-fits all kind of a meeting. The turnout was huge. Grain and chaff combined. Actors, actresses, rappers, dancers, publishers, musicians, band managers, comedians, filmmakers, aspiring producers and presenters all turned up.
In all honesty the idea of the meeting was very noble. Dialogue and interactions between ZBC as a distributor of content and independent producers of content is critical for the growth of the arts. Dialogue is the glue that will keep things together. However, the mix masala, one-shoe-fits all nature of the meeting reduced it to another talk show where nothing concrete was achieved or planned. In the end ZBC told the artistes about its difficult financial position, its plans around digitalisation, the areas where the corporation thinks independent content producers can come in and hopefully form synergies with the national broadcaster.
In a twitter message after the meeting one comedian said the highlights of the meeting were the tea break, chatting to some girls and lunch. In his comic way the comedian was actually saying something about the quality of the meeting. It could have been much, much better had grain been separated from chaff. (No offence intended)
I personally think actors and actresses had no business talking to the chief executive officer of ZBC. Their business is always with producers. For these are employed by producers. The same with individual comedians, presenters, rappers and all. The meeting would have been more productive had it targeted producers — those with a serious desire and perhaps means and skills to create content for the national broadcaster.
These independent producers would then have their own meetings with actors, writers and technical people later. To be honest the composition of the meeting made it impossible to focus on one thing. Each grouping in the room had its own needs, desires and aspirations that needed attention. Properly planned that meeting should have come up with a position or a plan on how independent producers would supply content to ZBC. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
The blame for this mix masala, one-shoe-fits-all meeting does not lie with the national broadcaster. ZBC is blameless. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the arts sector as it is not organised. Obviously the sector has no structure to promote compartmentalisation and specialisation. It is not known who is a producer and who is not. The sector has no recognised or functional unions or associations. There are no registers for independent producers. It’s a dog eat dog sector with no body or bodies that negotiate on behalf of others, no body or bodies that set standards, no body or bodies that approves one’s status or one’s operations. Without proper structures the sector will always be reactive or will continue to endorse wrong things.
If there was a proper Independent Producers Network it would have been the one sitting with ZBC executives and negotiating:
1 The payment structure for actors and writers.
2 The payment structure for independent productions and commissions.
3 The format and mode of engagement with ZBC.
The same Independent Producers Network (If it existed) could also be used to collect products and even distribute on behalf of individual producers. But as long as there is no structure we shall continue to have frustrated individuals coming to these meetings and venting their anger on ZBC personnel and scattering any attempt at dialogue like what nearly happened on this meeting. To conclude the arts sector needs structures. And hopefully these structures will separate grain from chaff. Chaff will be blown away by the wind while good grain will grow and prosper the sector.
