ZIMRAs director, Polisile Ncube, said the scheme dubbed Musicians Arise Festival was being organised by the fund raising committee. The two-day event, whose participants are yet to be announced, is scheduled to take place at the Aquatic Complex in the popular high density city of Chitungwiza. The festival, said Ncube, was the initial step on the road to improving the standard of living for many musicians facing cash flow problems. She promised that many similar activities were scheduled to appear on the ZIMRA calendar during the year.
“This will be a continuous item on the ZIMRA calendar with gigs being rotated from town to town. Concerts will also be organised for the different musical genres, said Ncube. Performers at the various shows, who take part on a voluntary basis, share 30 per cent of the profits. The remainder of the returns will be channelled towards assisting musicians in a number of ways. The programmes meant to improve the lives of musicians include the resuscitation of the pension fund whose coffers are almost empty due to cash flow problems, the creation of medical aid, the resumption of the housing cooperative, and the proposed scholarships for members. Widows and orphans of hundreds of deceased members are also on the agenda for assistance, she said.