By Gamuchirai Mugadzaweta

FROM the days of Skyline and kwaHunyani (Lake Chivero), outdoor entertainment joints have remained and continue to grow in popularity.
Outdoor space at Malven Shops, commonly known as kwaZindoga, Warren Park’s Mereki and Ziko in Seke Communal Lands are some outdoor entertainment places that are thriving and not short of revellers.
Outdoor entertainment spots, especially in these times when the churches, the family elders and counsellors counsel families to ‘roll’ together, have become more popular.
These joints have created a conducive environment for husbands, wives and children to hangout together without any one feeling uncomfortable.
Beyond doubt, outdoor entertainment has provided an alternative for those who cannot attend the ‘regular’ places of fun such as beer halls.
Quality service and innovation has been the hallmark of these places as they compete for the increasingly discerning customer.
Competition among these joints is stiff, with innovation separating minnows from giants of outdoor entertainment.
Most impressive at these joints is service delivery which has been used to make revellers part with their hard-earned cash.
And these joints have proved to be ideal places for artistes, mainly for musicians to launch, grow and cement their careers.
With a new artiste birthed almost on a daily basis, these joints have provided a platform for newcomers to introduce themselves to the trade.
These joints have enabled many an artiste to eke out a living from their craft.
With the scourge of piracy, musicians have had to depend on live shows to earn a living.
But crowds drawn at some joints have, due to their inaccessibility by everyone, not been encouraging, a development which has boosted outdoor joints.
These outdoor joints have resulted in the birth of a ‘new’ phenomenon now commonly referred to as ‘family shows’.
The concept of family shows is to bring together diverse groups of people, including children, to have fun and watch their favourite artistes in action.
And musicians such as sungura maestro Alick Macheso, high flying Jah Prayzah and Sulumani Chimbetu have popularised the concept of family shows.
Most family shows are held during the day as most families cannot stay up late with children.
The concept of family shows has led to artistes gaining new fans, mostly from the young ones.
Music critic Goden Nyambuya said outdoor joints have given children the opportunity to witness live performances by their favourite musicians in environments that are not restrictive.
“Outdoor joints have increased the catchment area for artistes as they are now able to grow their fan base by appealing more to children through live performances,” said Nyambuya.
Parents have also hailed the joints for presenting an opportunity for their children to sample good music in friendly environments.
“Our children are keen followers of some of these artistes and they are really delighted to see them perform live,” said a mother, Nyasha Chakanyuka.
“These youngsters are avid followers of some of the names in the music industry and an opportunity to see them perform live is invaluable,” she said.
And one hopes that the latest joint to be opened in the high density suburb of Dzivarasekwa, Padziva, will not disappoint but add to the magic of outdoor establishments.
Operated by Jive Zimbabwe, an entertainment company that is into promotion and management of artistes, Padziva seeks to be a platform for all artistes seeking to increase their footprint.
Founder of Jive Zimbabwe, Benjamin Nyandoro, said the calender for the joint was already packed.
“Our calendar for the year is full and we promise top quality entertainment from upcoming artistes and all those with big names you can think of. To every problem there is a solution, so by opening this joint, we are partly fighting corruption and the various challenges affecting artistes.
“Artistes need to help us help them in this fight that has bedevilled Africa at large. Stringent laws must be put in place to deter pirates from acting like vultures. As this joint is up and running, we expect artistes to deliver a good service and make a good name for themselves,” said Nyandoro.
Many artistes have benefitted from services offered by Jive Zimbabwe, such as profiling on the internet.
Buddie-beats is another initiative launched by Jive Zimbabwe to promote local mobile phone caller tunes thereby improving artistes’ earnings.
The new home for Jive Zimbabwe, Padziva, will afford artistes a platform to perform, nurture and grow their talent.