In his own words.. State of the nation address.
"Attttttennnn-SHUUUUNNNN!!!
Yesterday I was supposed to perform at the Big Nuz Show at the Kebab Centre in Harare. However, after struggling with the Shows promoter to honour our agreement, and not receiving my agreed fee, I couldn't.
I apologies to all my disappointed fans/fams/MaSoja. But we must start taking a stand about the bad treatment of your Zimbabwean Artists.
Sadly this is becoming very common in Zimbabwe, when Local Artist are treated as second rate. I am very angry at yet again, committing, being used to promote an event, with no return to my livelihood.
I don't normally complain in public, but enough is enough. 2 week ago, the arts industry suffered another blow financially with the "Mi Casa" (No) Show. Like me a lot of artists relay on these booking and fees for our day to day living. A lot of people in our eco-system depend on us being paid, for their day to day.
Sometimes is boils down to the basics. 1 show being cancelled and not receiving payment, can mean that an artist misses out of other shows, example of Yesterday, when I could have been else where, entertaining my fans and earning a least something. The lost finances means that my role as bread winner is compromised. Some artists live destitute. Some artists fail to meet their rent payments. It costs us a LOT of money to produce the Albums, Rehearse our sets. Our support teams, transport, food, CDs... the list is LONG. Its not cheap to be The General, or any other of the Zimbabwean local artists.
Big Naz where paid in full, and will leave the Zimbabwean industry less what ever many thousands of dollars they where paid to be here. Lucky them.
We need Artists to unite against the new disease of being under valued. We need the Arts Councils, Ministries that Zimbabwean Arts falls under to toughen up promoter licenses. They can not keep using our names on posters to draw big crowds to line their pockets and then fail to pay us our honest wage for the honest job of entertaining you, our Fans.
They can not keep building foreign acts at the expense of the local industry.
Help me and all your favourite Artists by sharing this post.