1. BA English and Communications Studies Degree (ZOU)
2. Masters of Science in Media and Society Studies (MSU)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Midlands talented Visual Artists scooped the NAMA Award
By Caven Masuku
Godwell Mkandhla who has always functioned in his society as the recorder of mores and experience of his society and as the voice and vision in his own time, scooped this year NAMA Award under “two dimensional” category.
Mkandhla is the only visual artists in the Midlands Province who won the “two dimensional” NAMA Merit award out of three contestants. “ I am happy because this is my first time to enter and win NAMA Award which is the first award in my life”, said Mkandhla
Mkandhla told Caven Masuku in an interview that he is dedicating the award to his mentor Tapfumanei Gutsa for the skills and expertise he imparted to him since 2005, at Suprise Centre 20km away from Gweru along Shurugwi road. “ This award can be nothing to me if I fail to mention specially thanks to National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Midlands Province team”, he added. He also thanked the “Dark House association'” for their immense and unwavering support.
Mkandhla said that visual art is all about feelings and giving a sight of objects around. Visual artists teach people through artistic works like painting to honour their culture . Painting is one medium and means of communications that was used by the Bushman and the Mesopotamia to communicate to the society.
Visual arts as a genre in arts like oral and written literature cultivate good culture to the community. Visual arts through drawings remind people of their past, their learned ways of living, behaviour and attitudes. “Through my paintings i reflect harmony within the community and preserve the culture of my people', said Mkandhla.
He added that Visual art unlike oral and written literal works of arts uses the voice and words to disseminate information related to social, cultural, economic and political issues within the community. Visual art on the other hand is silence and is loaded with meaning that can be determined by the viewers cultural background that sometimes can be different to the intended intention by the artist.
Mkandhla said that his artifacts won him an award because of the expertise and commitment he applied. “ I used Cubism shapes, the mathematical shapes which comes through innate ability and talent to integrate mathematical knowledge with artifacts skills”, he said
In addition, Mkandla encouraged artist in Midlands as well as across the country to remain focused and to be innovative in crafting their artifacts. He promised the people of Midlands another thriller very soon that will be portraying the plight of a guitar man. He said that in this artifacts he expresses the sad life of musicians , especially the life of guitarists who plays melodious rhythm, but at the end dies as a pauper. “ A guitar man plays music for the band owner who eventually becomes opulent yet the guitar despite his talent , gets little money to sustain himself and his family”, said Mkandla.
In some couples of months to come Mkandhla will be working on another piece of visual artifacts called “ A desperate Woman”. In this artifacts, Mkandhla will expose the evil that men cause to women, who after working hard and becoming affluent the husband then divorce the wife for no apparent reasons. Art is a medium that can be used to emancipate and unite people, providing alternative and dissenting views of social reality. Arts is there to educate, entertain, balm and soothe the wounded spirits.
This visual artifacts by Mkandhla will be used to crystallize people's experience and to give them identity. It will also enlightens the social, economic and cultural problems that affects women and challenge those in power to do something about it. It is that type of artifacts that made the man like Mkandhla who embodies crucially element in the society to scoop the NAMA award.
The Midlands current celebrity in visual arts, told Masuku that he has produced twenty pieces of visual artifacts and is looking forward to assist artists in Midlands in visual arts who wish to express their emotions, beliefs and opinion through the works of arts. To Mkandhla art is culture and portrays the durable template life of the people which can be transmitted from one generation to the other.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, acting Provincial Arts Manager, Cathrine Mthombeni said that Mkandhla as a visual artist in Gweru has a modern tendencies and his work has not been exposed. Sivanda said that, “Mkandhla once visited Bulawayo Arts Gallery for assistance in his artifacts but did not get the help he needed at that time”. She promised that for the next four weeks as the new administration in Gweru, they will organise an exhibition to enable the business community to meet with local artist. She said that as a marketing strategy this will promote Gweru artists and enable them to sell their arts products to the local business people.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Caven Masuku
This is Caven Masuku a Junior lecturer at Midlands State University (MSU) in Gweru Zimbabwe. He is a journalist and writes for "The Sunday News" in the entertainment desk. For more information find him on masuku.caven@gmail.com, masukuc@msu.ac.zw, sukuman08@yahoo.co.uk,sqokoqela@hotmail.com.
Midlands State University theatre arts group
Midlands State University theatre arts group
The Midlands State University (MSU) launched the arts theatre group for Students with disabilities into theatre Arts (IDITA). Brian Ntabeni one of the teaching assistant lecturers at MSU is the co-ordinator of this arts group.
In an interview conducted by Caven Masuku with Ntabeni, it emerged that Ntabeni was born on 6 May 1963 in Filabusi. He did his primary education at Glogg Range in 1972, and later, secondary education at Wanezi Mission and David Livingston in 1982 and 1983. After completing his advanced level he then went to University of Zimbabwe (UZ) in 1984 and 1986, where he obtained a BA General degree majoring in history and isiNdebele with the components of arts theatre. He is also a former headmaster at Sibhata Secondary School.
IDITA is a brainchild of Dr C Pfukwa the Dean in the faculty of arts at MSU. Brain Ntabeni and Muchineripi Gwarinda are the coordinators. Among the disabled students the main actors are JB Dube, Godknows, Tendai Muzondiwa and Tawonavo Chinyoka. IDITA uses arts and theatre, to address socio-economic issues like AIDS, religious and tribal conflict which is a threat to the peaceful wellbeing of society”, said Ntabeni.
“As IDITA arts group singing and dance, beat of drums and jingles are used across the board to communicate issues that affects the society on daily a basis”, said Ntabeni. As a mode of communication this form overcomes barriers of illiteracy.
The Midlands State University theatre arts for the disabled uses Zimbabwe's main languages; English, Shona and isiNdebele in their theatrical productions. Ntabeni has been in the arts theatre for some time and is known for creating Jabulani kuphela Theatre arts group in Matabeleland South.
As a creative artist Ntabeni has authored a book called “Sando the rat” that he forwarded to the Heinemann publishers in London for publishing. In addition, he has just completed a collection of isiNdebele short stories titled, “Ungaludinga uzaluthola” and is looking for a willing publisher locally or in South Africa. He added that the society does not change unless it has to laugh at its own ills. The arts and theatre for the disabled at MSU points at such evils that trouble the society and influence the change of behavior.
Asked whether he has an intention to start his own arts theatre group in Filabusi , Ntabeni said that he is planning to open a cultural village for the disabled in Filabusi. “People with economic muscle do not believe in the work of arts and take theatre lightly, instead of allocating the arts and theatre a space, they prefer a grinding meal”, said Ntabeni. He said that if arts are taken seriously like the church it will make the arts industry grow strong and become a recognized phenomenon.
“Gweru is sleeping in terms of arts, they have a tendency of depending on the outsiders and most artists prefer to move to Harare or Bulawayo”, said Ntabeni. Ntabeni as an artist and a teaching assistant lecturer said that students by virtue of being involved in theatre arts will come to understand better.
This is for the first time that Midlands State University got involved in engaging the disadvantaged in arts and theatre and will enable them to publish their artistic work in brails, added Ntabeni. “I urge all artists in the Midlands to fight hard to earn themselves respect in arts and theatre since nothing comes easy. Otherwise if they do not fight hard they will end up giving us a bubble gum product which blows and does not last”, said Ntabeni
കോര്പ്പറേറ്റ് Giant
This story is taken from CNN and indicates the enormous power developed by conglomerate organization in Europe in monopolizing the global market
STORY HIGHLIGHTS. Caven Masuku a lecturer at Midlands State University from Gweru, Zimbabwe teachers Global Media structures and is a Journalist who have keen interest in finding out what is currently happening with conglomerate and global media agencies. he can be contacted on masuku.caven@gmail.com
* Dispute over e-book prices between Amazon, publisher a power play, says Barry C. Lynn
* Lynn: Government has stressed lower prices while allowing growth of powerful retailers
* He says the cost of the policy has been domination of retailers over suppliers
RELATED TOPICS
* Amazon.com Inc.
* Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
* Monopolies
Editor's note: Barry C. Lynn is author of "Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction" (Wiley). He is a senior fellow and director of the Markets, Enterprise and Resiliency Initiative at the New America Foundation.
(CNN) -- Late in January, the book publisher Macmillan told Amazon it wanted to raise the prices of its books sold through the online retailer. Amazon made clear it wanted to continue to set prices for Macmillan's books, as it does for most books it sells.
To make sure the publisher understood it was serious, Amazon cut the links that enable people to buy Macmillan's books via Amazon's Web site. For more than a week, you could still see Macmillan books on Amazon; you just couldn't order one.
Even though the two companies have since struck a truce, the showdown should deeply concern anyone who cares not merely about the health of this vital industry, but about concentration of political power in America.
What should concern us foremost is not that Amazon's managers believe they -- rather than the people who write and edit our books -- have a right to set the price for books. It is that Amazon's managers believe they have consolidated sufficient power -- the company sells as much as 80 percent of all ebooks, for instance -- to enforce their will by cutting off the public's access to a publisher's books.
More disturbing yet, Amazon is not alone in having captured such a position. Another company that has captured a real say over the actions of our publishers is Wal-Mart. And Wal-Mart is a goliath that has repeatedly used its dominant position to influence the content of products by refusing to sell certain books or music.
Indeed, such brute use of power is increasingly the norm across our economy. As anyone who has studied the business practices of Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Best Buy knows, rough treatment of the people who make what we buy is true in just about every industry.
It was not always this way in America. A generation ago every city boasted its own department stores, discount shops and independent bookstores. Power was so widely distributed that few retailers enjoyed any real power over suppliers.
The consolidation in retail since then is due largely to two revolutions in our anti-monopoly laws. The first was the Consumer Goods Pricing Act of 1975, which gave retailers the power to price other companies' products. Second was the Reagan administration's reframing of our anti-monopoly laws in 1981 around the concept of "consumer welfare."
Until then, the prime purpose of anti-monopoly laws was to protect citizens against concentration of political power. Since then, officials have used our anti-monopoly laws instead to lower prices. To achieve this end, they often virtually promote concentration of power over entire market systems.
As a result, it is now all but routine for big firms, in their efforts to grow bigger and increase profits, to dictate prices to suppliers who depend on them to get to their customers. Such use of power can strip away or destroy much of the cash suppliers would have invested in new products or simply to maintain systems and skills.
There is nothing new in this. A century ago Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes spelled out the dangers in a case in which a retailer manipulated the price of a drug, "I cannot believe," he wrote, "that in the long run the public will profit by this court permitting knaves to cut reasonable prices for some ulterior purpose of their own, and thus to impair, if not to destroy, the production and sale of articles which it is assumed to be desirable that the public be able to get."
In the case of Amazon, consolidation has often been presented as a consequence of new technologies. And it is not entirely clear how we can apply traditional anti-monopoly laws, many of which have geographic components, to online commerce.
But any careful reading of history will carry us to analogous challenges in our past, like those posed by the early railways, and thereby to other potentially useful forms of anti-monopoly law such as common carriage rules. Also, most of Amazon's abuses would have been avoided if the people who make our products (in this case books) still enjoyed complete autonomy to set their own prices.
Amazon acted badly. So too Wal-Mart, especially during last fall's book price war. Yet the fundamental flaw lies not with the decisions made by managers of these companies. It lies with viewing our anti-monopoly laws as a tool to promote a flawed vision of efficiency rather than to protect our most vital liberties.
Defenders of concentration will continue to justify their use of power with claims they are serving the "consumer." But we should be clear that fixation on lowering prices can result in truly dramatic costs.
Sometimes it is degradation of the quality and safety of the products delivered to the American "consumer." Sometimes it is the concentration of power over the people who produce our books and other vital products and over the American citizen.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS. Caven Masuku a lecturer at Midlands State University from Gweru, Zimbabwe teachers Global Media structures and is a Journalist who have keen interest in finding out what is currently happening with conglomerate and global media agencies. he can be contacted on masuku.caven@gmail.com
* Dispute over e-book prices between Amazon, publisher a power play, says Barry C. Lynn
* Lynn: Government has stressed lower prices while allowing growth of powerful retailers
* He says the cost of the policy has been domination of retailers over suppliers
RELATED TOPICS
* Amazon.com Inc.
* Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
* Monopolies
Editor's note: Barry C. Lynn is author of "Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction" (Wiley). He is a senior fellow and director of the Markets, Enterprise and Resiliency Initiative at the New America Foundation.
(CNN) -- Late in January, the book publisher Macmillan told Amazon it wanted to raise the prices of its books sold through the online retailer. Amazon made clear it wanted to continue to set prices for Macmillan's books, as it does for most books it sells.
To make sure the publisher understood it was serious, Amazon cut the links that enable people to buy Macmillan's books via Amazon's Web site. For more than a week, you could still see Macmillan books on Amazon; you just couldn't order one.
Even though the two companies have since struck a truce, the showdown should deeply concern anyone who cares not merely about the health of this vital industry, but about concentration of political power in America.
What should concern us foremost is not that Amazon's managers believe they -- rather than the people who write and edit our books -- have a right to set the price for books. It is that Amazon's managers believe they have consolidated sufficient power -- the company sells as much as 80 percent of all ebooks, for instance -- to enforce their will by cutting off the public's access to a publisher's books.
More disturbing yet, Amazon is not alone in having captured such a position. Another company that has captured a real say over the actions of our publishers is Wal-Mart. And Wal-Mart is a goliath that has repeatedly used its dominant position to influence the content of products by refusing to sell certain books or music.
Indeed, such brute use of power is increasingly the norm across our economy. As anyone who has studied the business practices of Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Best Buy knows, rough treatment of the people who make what we buy is true in just about every industry.
It was not always this way in America. A generation ago every city boasted its own department stores, discount shops and independent bookstores. Power was so widely distributed that few retailers enjoyed any real power over suppliers.
The consolidation in retail since then is due largely to two revolutions in our anti-monopoly laws. The first was the Consumer Goods Pricing Act of 1975, which gave retailers the power to price other companies' products. Second was the Reagan administration's reframing of our anti-monopoly laws in 1981 around the concept of "consumer welfare."
Until then, the prime purpose of anti-monopoly laws was to protect citizens against concentration of political power. Since then, officials have used our anti-monopoly laws instead to lower prices. To achieve this end, they often virtually promote concentration of power over entire market systems.
As a result, it is now all but routine for big firms, in their efforts to grow bigger and increase profits, to dictate prices to suppliers who depend on them to get to their customers. Such use of power can strip away or destroy much of the cash suppliers would have invested in new products or simply to maintain systems and skills.
There is nothing new in this. A century ago Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes spelled out the dangers in a case in which a retailer manipulated the price of a drug, "I cannot believe," he wrote, "that in the long run the public will profit by this court permitting knaves to cut reasonable prices for some ulterior purpose of their own, and thus to impair, if not to destroy, the production and sale of articles which it is assumed to be desirable that the public be able to get."
In the case of Amazon, consolidation has often been presented as a consequence of new technologies. And it is not entirely clear how we can apply traditional anti-monopoly laws, many of which have geographic components, to online commerce.
But any careful reading of history will carry us to analogous challenges in our past, like those posed by the early railways, and thereby to other potentially useful forms of anti-monopoly law such as common carriage rules. Also, most of Amazon's abuses would have been avoided if the people who make our products (in this case books) still enjoyed complete autonomy to set their own prices.
Amazon acted badly. So too Wal-Mart, especially during last fall's book price war. Yet the fundamental flaw lies not with the decisions made by managers of these companies. It lies with viewing our anti-monopoly laws as a tool to promote a flawed vision of efficiency rather than to protect our most vital liberties.
Defenders of concentration will continue to justify their use of power with claims they are serving the "consumer." But we should be clear that fixation on lowering prices can result in truly dramatic costs.
Sometimes it is degradation of the quality and safety of the products delivered to the American "consumer." Sometimes it is the concentration of power over the people who produce our books and other vital products and over the American citizen.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mbira music evokes spiritual feelings-Gweru Mbira crew
"When I first listened to the mbira sound, I wanted to hear more and
more. I could not stop it, I was sick until I learned to play, so I
could hear these sounds, once declared Zimbabwe's Mbira Queen maestro,
Stella Rambisai Chiweshe.
The above experience is not unique to Stella, as she is known by her
legions of fans. Those were the same feelings that drove the only
Mbira music ensemble in Gweru , the Midlands Mbira Crew to the
traditional beat.
The group, a brainchild of three Mbira enthusiasts, Trymore Marowa,
Chigama Hope and James Chiguvare was formed in November last year.
The trio declares that as they play and listen to the Mbira beat they
are “engrossed in the spiritual world”, where they get possessed with
ancestral powers “that can cast the evils of society away.”
Martin Mgwagwa, the Manager of the group, said feelings of the artful
way ancestors lived made them play mbira music, an art he says is
“innate and does not need formal education.”
He added that the traditional beat is unique, compared to others as
Sungura as one plays using instruments that are not connected to
external wires.
"Mbira as part of art music is distinct from Sungura music that is
played out of wires connected to electricity for entertainment. As we
sing the song about Imbwa Machena yaenda yoga musango, it comes deep
in my heart through feelings that neither can be touched or seen",
said Mgwagwa. We play mbira to express our feelings as well as that of
my community using typical ancestry self made instruments that we want
to conserve as culture to our children, he added.
This group that is based in Gweru sings about the past in Chikaranga
and Zezuru language, especially in their songs like chidzima and
mhondoro. “Last week we performed in front of the spirit mediums from
Guruve that came to Costorage in Mkoba 9, to appease the ancestry to
open up the sky for the Midlands people”, said The Manager.
Mgwagwa revealed that mbira music is an important artistic prowess
that remind the people of Zimbabwe about their ancestors way of life
before the coming in of television and radios. He said that just like
Christianity, traditional living can be captured and conserved through
playing mbira to the people of Gweru.
Mbira music is more salient to social and economic issues than in
politics .As Midlands Mbira Crew we get invitations from all over the
country to perform, especially where there will be spirit mediums
(mhondoro) or where the will be some ceremonies to bless new buildings
or to cleanse away evil spirits. We have seen many artists dying of
HIV/Aids and if you are playing Mbira dzechivanhu it works on you as a
carthesis that disciplines and cleanses away evil. You can not sleep
around with women and come to singing mbira never, never, mbira will
deter you no-wonder why mbira singers do not die of HIV/AIDS, said
Mgwagwa.
The Midlands Mbira Crew is currently in need of the PA system and hope
that the Midlands National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) will assist
them through promotions and marketing by inviting them to provide
entertainment in big gatherings said one of the crew members, James
Chiguvare. He added that they are very grateful with the new Midlands
administration (NACZ) for the support they are giving them to market
themselves. Hope Chigama said that the NACZ in Midlands Province if
possible should inform them where there is need for their performance
since there are the only Mbira group so far in Gweru.
Mgwagwa said the group has a strong relationship with the Gweru
business community and performs in Beer Halls like Batanai bar in
Mkoba and Mnkandla Ekhaya Holdings Light Industry (Sponono).
He added that last year Mkoba Member of Parliament Mr Chibaya invited
them for a Christmas Party held at Mkoba Secondary School.
So far this group is yet to go for a tour, but are looking forward to
travel places all over the country performing. Seven members for
Midlands Mbira Crew namely Trymore Marowa, Hope Chagama, James
Chiguvare, Owen Mbano, Skanyisiwe Kanye, Author Mbano and Clara
Mashayamombe are looking forward to record their first album in mbira
music very soon.
There is need to teach mbira music at both primary and secondary level
as a way of preserving our local culture, said Mgwagwa the Manager. He
encouraged all artist around the country not be shy about what they
are doing. To the mbira arts groups across the country Mgwagwa
encouraged them to take mbira music seriously and not to be deterred
by negative comments from community members who perceive them as
marombe( poor people).
"We thank the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Midlands Province new
administration for realising people like us and trying to promote and
market us. We will be happy if they can invite all artists in
important events without bias and to network us with business
community", said Mgwagwa.
NACZ should in future organise workshops for artists in Gweru and
impart skills on how we should conduct ourselves and business with
that spirit in Gweru we are likely to prosper, he added.
“The Midlands Mbira Crew group is a talented music group that contains
their cultural practises and observed that there is vibrant talent in
Midlands”, said Cathrine Mthombeni the Midlands National Arts Council
of Zimbabwe, Provincial Programmes Officer.
She added that she expect the artists in Midlands to be corporative so
that there can jointly market and promote them.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Midlands Provincial Arts
Manager, Abigal Sivanda said there is talent in the Midlands but
lamented the tendency by the artists to relocate to bigger cities,
hence depriving the province's status as an arts and cultural boiling
point.
“Midlands is blessed with artists from various genres and some of them
use to flee to other cities like Bulawayo and Harare”, she said
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