As one of the many Zimbabweans who had been denied formal employment by the country’s continued economic decline, Maungwa had started off well at his Street Beats studio in Chitungwiza.
“It was a fast-growing under-ground production house that specialized in movies, weddings and music videos. I have always loved movies, videos and acting and knew that my passion would take me somewhere, but the way the country was going then gave me a huge knock from which I thought I would not recover. It is always disheartening when you start off well and then some macro-economic factors suddenly knock you down.”
He migrated to South Africa in 2009. Instead of looking for menial jobs, he used his little savings to set up Neo Studios. “Things are going well for me now and all the heartbreaks of the past are forgotten,” said the young businessman.
“I have so far edited many successful videos and recorded artists who have gone on to make names for themselves both here and internationally.”
Maungwa did videos for talented multi-instrumentalist Q-Montana, including his regionally-acclaimed song, SADC, done in collaboration with some Zambian artists. Some of the songs are already doing well on regional television channels and are featured on You-tube.
“I have had successful projects with artists from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria. Coming here has really opened huge doors,” he said.
“I have really enjoyed working with artists from across Africa and getting to know their different cultures and lifestyles. There were some local artists who tried to take advantage of me being a foreigner, but I have not been intimidated by them and most have begun to respect my technical abilities.”
Maungwa’s ultimate plan is to spread his growth back home and to other provinces of South Africa and Zambia.
“At the moment, I am involved in some big projects for Zambian artists Sarchie and Timothy Prince, who sing dancehall and gospel reggae respectively,” he added.
“I also help young artists with various aspects of the music business during my spare time and I really love it. Music and me will never be separated. This is an industry on which many live internationally and there is no reason why Zimbabwe and Africa cannot do the same. I also want to open music schools here, back home and across the region as a way of developing African music and its culture in the same way Americans have done worldwide.”
Post published in: Africa News