SOCIAL MEDIA users have expressed mixed feelings over remarks made by producer and musician Blawk Awt that radio stations in the country play artists on tribal basis.
The artist made the remarks a fortnight after the release of his self-titled EP. The production features Floppy X, X Mile, Camagu Tafeni, Sykotek
The producer reignited a conversation which was raised by the late Cal Vin in a song dubbed ‘Maybe If Shona”. In the song Cal Vin claims he was not getting the same treatment with his counterparts who hail from the northern part of the country. The rapper said airplay and opportunities were availed on tribal lines.
Blawk Awt worked with the late Cal Vin on many productions — the last one being the hit song Kele Jwetse Ha Kae.
Taking out his frustrations on social media, Blawk Awt posted…
"If I was Shona my EP would be number one on all radio stations and playlists in Zimbabwe. If I was Shona,” he posted.
Commenting on the post others concurred with the artist while others described him as a cry baby.
“Bulawayo artists are just asking for one thing; for the ground to be level; play music from all regions, be it Tonga, Venda, Kalanga, Ndebele, Xhosa, Tshangane. How can we hear songs from one language in Zimbabwe when we have so many singers and languages?
To see how good artists in other regions are, look at DT Bio Mudimba and Mokoomba from Binga as well as Asaph from Bulawayo,” said one Nqobani Malinga.
Another commenter urged Blawk Awt to push harder for recognition.
“This is just an inferiority complex, enough with tribal wars. Not in this day and age. You need to push your way to the top because the bottom is crowded, that's why nobody is recognising you,” he said.
Cal Vin and Blaw Awt are not the only artists who have bemoaned tribalism in the creative industry, even Lovemore Majaivana spoke about it leading to his retirement and relocation to the United States.
In an interview with the media, Majaivana spoke out on his disappointment in the music industry.
“I have been dealt blows below the belt. First of all was the language that I sang in. It didn’t really bring me the fortune that one expects when you look at other people who sing in the widely known languages," he said.
"They get a better share of the profits. It’s partly why I left music. Whenever I went to get my cheque, I saw the other cheques for people who sang in other languages. They had better cheques than mine. Okay, you might say my music was not better than theirs, and after travelling to places like England, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, we had full houses and here at home it was on tribal lines.”
