A historian, writer and theatre/movie director and producer, his driving force is to ensure that talented Zimbabwean artists do not end up on the streets, as most of them currently do.
“I have seen many artists fail to make it in life, or quit to pursue a different career path, not because they lack the talent, but because they lack the guidance they need to become great,” Mabanga told The Zimbabwean recently.
“I am trying to give our artists an opportunity to grow by managing, marketing and linking them with bigger theatres, where they will perform before bigger audiences and get the recognition they deserve. As it is, there are many groups I have linked to the Market Theatre, one of which will be performing there on March 2.”
Without the financial acumen needed to work with stars, especially in a land where arts pays a fortune, the Gwanda-born Mabanga has relied on his willpower and rich network of giants in his field to succeed.
“I am a culture-conscious person who uses the arts to keep people in touch with both their identity and tradition. I loved the arts as schoolboy, where I used to write and perform poems and plays,” he added.
“Living in the Diaspora, where most people have forgotten their culture as they mingle and mix with people from various parts of the world, I have made it my duty to ensure that Zimbabweans, especially Ndebeles, do not lose direction in the process.”
Passionate about tradition, Mabanga has also been active on social networks, where he stimulates debate and educates fellow Zimbabweans via a number of educational and interactive pages.
He had some misgivings about the Zimbabwean school curriculum, which he said continued to put artists on the back foot.
“For decades now, our school syllabus has been more on subjects that throw graduates onto the streets in search of employment when they finish school, instead of allowing them to be creators of employment or self-employed professionals.
I have no problems with academic subjects, but the Ministry of Education needs to realise that we cannot all be technocrats and allow those who are talented in arts to pursue their dreams. This can only be done through recognising and developing the arts, which is also part of the ministry,” he said.
“The arts can be a good source of revenue if well-managed. Look at what Bob Marley did for Jamaica with his music. There could be many Bob Marleys in Zimbabwe if the industry was taken as seriously as it is in other countries. But the first step would be for government to get more involved in its development from grassroots level.”
“Government also needs to introduce a well-monitored and well-administered culture fund that would help budding artists and arts groups with sound project proposals every year to make this work,” said the arts director.
“We also need more arts festivals in the country and these need to be concentrated in major cities like Bulawayo and Harare, but also be spread across the country to reach even the most remote areas, where a lot of talent exists and is being lost.”
Mabanga also challenged established artists to come to the aid of upcoming ones by getting involved in the latter’s works and letting them tag along when they perform at big venues, giving praise to award-winning Zimbabwean singer Oscar Mdlongwa for doing that to his countrymen in South Africa.
“My daily message even to the artists I work with is that education should come first. This will help them to avoid being duped in contracts or exploited by their employers when they begin to practise as professionals,” he advised.
Post published in: Entertainment