something I found online

Zimbabwe’s reputation precedes it. It has become synonymous with a melee of words, all signifying chaos and collapse- a dearth of progress and a flood of hopelessness. No one will ever blame you for believing what you see, but they certainly will blame you for believing everything you read. Thus,like most places of recent media legend, Zimbabwe, (and particularly Harare), has always surprised those who are daring enough to experience it for what it really is, a small city with big dreams, whose optimism is matched, if not superseded by the industrious nature of its inhabitants.

Zimbabwe may thirst for affirmation of worth from the world around it and especially from its own inhabitants; however the staccato paces of civil servants, the blaring ghetto blasters of corner dealers and the rhythmic sing-song conversations of vegetable vendors drown out any notions of desperation. Disco Metropolis under the African sun is a cacophony of city sounds that beats to the pulse of a place that refuses to be forgotten, and that instead gasps desperately for air and a will to live, like a Lazarus-like figure that refuses to die. Ringing true to its Shona meaning, Harare truly never sleeps and its dreams, now cognizant of their potential seem impossible to achieve after waiting in the wings of some desire abandoned long ago.

Such a desire is embodied in the sole mission of one man-Carl Josh Ncube an exuberant 30 year-old whose optimism is nothing short of heartening and sincere. Carl is a lot of things; animator, executive producer and artist. Above all, he is a man whose vision for the improvement of the Zimbabwean music made him take a bold step. For a week in March, Carl set out to raise awareness about the seriousness of piracy of local music and the lack of support for local artists in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean music industry, the birthplace of internationally acclaimed artists such as Oliver Mtukudzi and Chiwoniso Maraire, has in the last few years imploded on itself, torn into a battlefield, waging war on itself. Artists’ careers have been destroyed by rampant and rife piracy that has led most artists to leave the country to work menial or degrading jobs as street sweepers or as prostitutes, forgetting the talent they have because everyone else around them had as well.

Carl’s journey thus took him to the streets of Harare to fight for artistic cause and progression. He slept on the streets, lived on the streets, and by day campaigned on the streets. His goal: to get at least 1 000 signatures from people pledging their support for the Zimbabwe Music Awards. The fulfilment of this seemingly simple task was threatened at many stages by a lack of support from the general public, and by the police who at a stage told Carl he could not sleep on the streets during his campaigning as per a prior arrangement. Carl eventually sought shelter in the entrance of a business building, whilst campaigning daily to change the face of Zimbabwean music, and to fight the battle over piracy—a momentous step for performing artists in Zimbabwe.

March 11.

“the next seven days will be nothing short of incredible for me...I will be moving into 1^st street for seven days...that's me, a sleeping bag, no money, no bed, no roof...just a desire to change Zimbabwean music one
night at a time”. CARL JOSH NCUBE.

Carl’s drive to campaign for artists on a national level is an impulse he feels strongly as a duty to fellow artists, “It is my duty as a Zimbabwean. It is my duty as a TV director, and most importantly as executive producer of the Zimbabwe Music Awards it is my duty to make sure Zimbabweans honour their artists. If something is taking away that honour I need to find a way to address it”. Although Carl’s views are admirable there have been general mixed reactions to the issue of piracy in the Zimbabwean music industry. The fact is with a difference of US$8 between pirated music and music sold in music stores, and with general apathy from most Zimbabweans in general, Carl’s campaign has a lot of groundwork to cover before it affects change on the scale he and other musicians’ desire.

March 12.

“The Zimbabweans on the street today were a tough crowd and they don’t give a shit about Zimbabwean music...but thanks to the 69 people who signed the pledge, thank you for showing belief in our real heroes...the artists!” CARL JOSH NCUBE.

His campaign however, far surpasses a simple drive to improve a music industry. In light of the past 5 to 10 years of socio-economic instability, Carl’s musical revolution seeks to address a way of thinking that under-values the potential of Zimbabwean talent as a whole. “I believe Zimbos lost a lot in the last 5 to 10 years. Zimbabweans lost the ability to love something publicly-their neighbours, their cities. It’s not surprising that they have lost the same for their artists. Music will certainly be a start to restoring that feel good factor Zimbabwe craves because we have settled for thinking that it’s out there somewhere, but it’s all here”.