ONE of the biggest talent shows in Zimbabwe, the Chibuku Road to Fame is on course with provincial finals being held across the country in preparation for the national finals to be held on September 27 at the Glamis Arena, Harare.
This year, Chibuku Road to Fame will be celebrating 51 years in existence, but one might ask if the organisers have been successful in achieving their desired goal.
The competition is a collaboration effort by Delta Beverages and the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ).
One of its major purposes is to search and nurture rare musical talent that exists in Zimbabwe.
Since its inception in 1963, different groups that won the competition have walked away with cash prizes and recording contracts.
Unlike others, artistes such as Romeo Gasa and Club Shanga who were past winners have managed to get recognition in the music industry.
The director of information at the NACZ, Audrey Charamba, said Chibuku Road to Fame is organised with the hope that the winning artiste is able to compete with established musicians.
She said the competition sought to scout talented groups that have not recorded as yet.
At the Harare Provincial finals held at Warren Park Bar last weekend, the Sungura genre dominated.
However, as the artistes were performing, one could not help, but observe the lack of originality by the groups.
It is this lack of creativity that saw some artistes copying established Sungura giants such as Alick Macheso and Nicholas Zachariah.
Creativity and originality does not only reflect the talent of an artiste, but the uniqueness that comes with the music.
“In this competition we will be trying to get the best among the groups, hence we encourage creativity,” said Charamba.
“As NACZ we have provincial offices across the nation that the groups go to register and it is at the offices that the officers scout groups for the provincial finals.”
It is therefore at the provincial finals that the winner is booked for the national finals.
To come up with provincial winners, adjudicators pay special attention to issues such as coordination of the band, instrumentation and response of revellers.
It is important to note that mimicking established artistes has resulted in some bands becoming unpopular after winning Chibuku Road to Fame.
Last weekend in Warren Park, Njanja Super Sounds from Mbare scooped the first prize for the Harare Provincial Finals after putting up a sterling performance.
The group were cheered by revellers after performing the Sungura genre spiced by eloquent guitar skills and vocals.
Njanja Super Sounds walked away US$1 000 richer, while Wachemachema Crew who came second got US$500 and third placed Motion Crew walked away with US$300.
The Chibuku Road to Fame is an annual competition that focuses on different music genres such as Afro fusion, Jazz, Reggae, Rhumba and Sungura among others.
Past winners of the competition include Romeo Gasa (2007), Club Shanga (2010), Munandi Express (2011), Terry and the Bliss (2012) and Way Band (2013).