By Charles T.M.J. Dube

I once wrote about sekuru vangu vaMatshovha, my grandfather’s brother who never raised a threshing rod or wielded a hoe at the family nhimbe and yet his absence could always be felt for he was a very good singer and motivator whose theatrics and singing made things happen for those who were doing the working.
He was an artiste and his contribution converted to real output through others.
Now, you may be wondering where I am headed with all this.
I am trying to establish that the body of our creative arts — prose, poetry, literature, stories, film and drama — in as much as they could be considered entertainment, are as important nutrients to our development and production and development processes as land, labour, capital and the entrepreneur to those schooled in economics and finance.
They are like what fertiliser or manure is to the farmer.
Invisible in the plant growth process and yet important nutrients and influence to our expected crop output.
Our folk stories, just like the Greek mythological stories, our religion and culture, shape the way we think and our mindsets.
We cannot afford to relegate them to the sensual realm of entertainment, literal suspense, laughter, ecstasy and innuendo.
With digitisation coming up, there are going to be over 12 television channels coming on stream.
Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora has caused quite a tsunami in the educational sector with his new curriculum which too is intended to revolutionise our mindsets and value system into a new people; proud of who we are and ready to take Zimbabwe into the 21st Century.
We have been reading and watching other people’s stories.
We must tell ours as well as read and watch it on television.
The following questions come to mind:
l Where are we and would we want to remain there?
l Where do we want to be and what does it take for us to get there?
l What do we have or not have and how can we have it to get there?
l Are we all agreed on the intended destiny and if so who are the spoilers, in what way do they spoil it and what can we do about it?
l Who should we bank on and who are the protagonists?
That now sounds like serious stuff!
What manner of art could confine itself to such hard-hat areas?
Do not read me wrong!
Film and art should continue to entertain, but it should also educate, inform, be purpose-driven and goal-oriented.
It should not be parasitic and feeding on the surplus of other directly productive sectors, but lead to more direct production.
This I will call the ‘Matshovha model’ where art, while not directly involved in productive capital accumulation, becomes an important variable in such productive outturns.
Sekuru Matshovha never touched the threshing rod nor did he wield the hoe during the extended family communal chores (nhimbe) and yet his presence or absence reflected on the day’s achievements.
I am a lay preacher myself and the way I package my sermons has an impact on how they are received.
Years of being a practitioner in marketing, advertising and promotion have taught me how to package my sermons and consultancy reports such that serious stuff gets packaged into easy read and at times entertaining material without losing their purpose.
In some earlier article, I once indicated that all writers are prophets and the question is; whose prophets?
Consequently, artistes (musicians, writers and craftsmen) and film writers must always remember they carry an underlying story in all they produce.
They influence the way we think and do things in very subtle or at times even very direct ways.
They are an important influence to our mindsets.
They will direct and ensure that all segments of society are reading from the same national script.
They will read the national script for us through entertaining performances, writings and film, whether real life or fiction.
They will redirect us when it becomes apparent we are getting lost or taking a wrong turn.
In all this, they would be playing their role as per the ‘Matshovha model’.
The coming in of digitisation is widening the media space for the artiste.
There are going to be more TV and radio stations at their disposal.
How then shall these be used?
I know in South Africa they have stations dedicated to mindsetting or education only.
It is our prerogative to go that route or take the sublime route embedded in our entertainment.
If you thought the James Bond series, Dallas or even Tarzan were mere innocent entertainment films, then you could be in for a shock.
They are loaded with an ideology designed to portray certain images and lasting impressions on people’s minds.
They have an agenda.
What is your agenda as a writer and whose prophet are you?
Do you think your prose, poetry, film and music will help take Zimbabwe to the next millennium using the ‘Matshovha model’?
I try and write serious ideological stuff, mindset change and all.
If we sing from the same hymnal, why not reduce that to your own language of music, prose and film?
Every week, The Patriot comes up with serious stuff on development, mindset, integrity, challenges and opportunities, culture and religion.
Being the creative artiste that you are, your obligation is to channel this into your discipline, be it drama, film, poetry, music or carving.
Now that the media are expanding with digitisation, it is a big opportunity to make hay while the sun shines and get on the map.
In conclusion let me repeat what I said in the beginning.
The artiste is a critical variable to the tangible production process, invisible in factors of production as he might be.
He plays the role of fertiliser or manure to it all.
He should reflect where we are, where we want to go and how, catalysing the process to get there.
He should be reading from the same script as the production manager in the factory, the teacher in the classroom, the director in the boardroom and the blue-collar labourer in overalls.
Therefore, the expansion of radio and television stations should convert into increased production on the factory floor, ‘Matshovha model’ style.