We are all talented in different ways and as artists our call is to use our talents as a means of sustenance of our livelihoods.
But if arts does not support our livelihoods, we look for other means of survival.
In my arts journey, I have had the experience of feeling exploited and manipulated by various promoters in the arts sector. These are people with the means and connections, and they have become hurdles in my artistic growth.
As I travel around communicating and also documenting artistic stories of resilience, I have met many artists who have been affected by the exploitative nature of the arts industry.
Dance remains one of the most exploited art forms, with dancers in Zimbabwe disadvantaged.
Langton Khumalo is one such artist from Bulawayo who for the past 18 years has, and was involved actively in the dance industry.
I use the term has and was, because his is a story of struggle and pain amidst a quest for hope to apply the Lazarus effect which is resurrecting a dead passion which is dance choreography.
“My story is that of a struggle, but it also speaks of resilience and the call for hope. Many people in Zimbabwe have underrated the power and the potential of dance. In essence there have been the select few that have actually made it as dancers, choreographers and expressionists. When you dance or when you are an artist, you express your feelings, and you are an expressionist. I have managed to penetrate and perform in almost every corner in Zimbabwe but I have not experienced any change or growth to my life through arts,” Khumalo said.
But he says through dance his body experienced freedom and not the restrictions of the mind.
As an edutainment tool, dance is the art form in which human movement becomes the medium for sensing, understanding, and communicating ideas, feelings, and experiences.
“The name of our dance group was called Mthwakazi Arts Company, and we used to dance in bars and clubs both within Bulawayo and in the outskirts and other cities such as Dete, Binga, Hwange and Victoria Falls.
Most bars would hire us on the basis of auditioning us and we would dance ourselves off till dawn for no pay and were taken advantage of in the name of auditioning.
"This was also at a time when Zimbabwe was facing chronic economic challenges around 2008. We were not given food, let alone transport money. We were forced to walk to and from town facing the harsh realities of the weather. But we did this with resilience hoping that one day we would be taken seriously and in the process make a living from dance as an art,” Khumalo said.
The exploitation of poor artists is common in the arts world. It is only the elite that profit from talent by the artists.
Generally, in the Zimbabwean context, artists remain poor and their socio-economic situation is uncertain. One month they may have some income, and the next month none at all.
Their situation is unjustifiable and the case of Langton Khumalo and his dance group members is reflective of the exploitative nature of the arts industry which gives the upcoming and talented artists no opportunity to fluctuate.
Khumalo explained to Standard Style how he was someone who was goal-oriented in creating a means of livelihood for himself and his fellow dancers through the arts.
He was the director of the group and managed its affairs with regard to finances and the organisation of the shows and liaising with the different promoters.
Khumalo was also the one responsible for choreographing their acts which included traditional dancing, museve, rhumba, old school and kwaito, inculcating skits so as to put life and uniqueness into their act.
“Besides dancing in bars and night clubs, we also saw an opening in schools as we would go to entertain children at different schools in Bulawayo and use the platforms for entertainment in the provision of edutainment and awareness. As dancers we also realised that we were also good at acting and theatre, and so we would curate theatre pieces that addressed issues of child abuse, gender based violence, effects of drugs among other cases. This was based on our belief that art is a critical tool that can play an important role in accentuating the message of growth and community development also nurturing the youth to be responsible citizens," he said.
Khumalo also explained how from 2009 many of the members of his dance group were forced to relocate to South Africa in search for greener pastures as they were not getting meaningful income from dance.
Resultantly, he says most of them died there with really nothing to account for due to negligence and the impact of HIV which affects many people in the arts sector.
He also tried to go to South Africa to look for work but had a bad stint there after he was wrongly imprisoned for a crime that he says he had not committed. After serving his term he decided to come back to Zimbabwe to ressurect his dance passion.
“Since coming back to Zimbabwe, I have been trying to revive the dance group but it is not really viable for now. That is why I have since ventured into being entrepreneurial through having a small business enterprise where I sell sweets, maputi, and air time. Another former dancer Prince Dlodlo sells street food like chips, burgers and Kotas," Khumalo said.
"We do this to have a means of survival. We have a small temporary shack we have built to put our wares by the corner of the road. At least we can now survive and make a living. This is better than turning to crime or a life where we might end up abusing drugs because of idleness and that art is not viable in sustaining our lives. I am now a parent, and my daughter needs to be fed and have her fees paid for her. How can I pay fees through dance in Zimbabwe where we were exploited and paid peanuts? Being a hustler is now the better way of enhancing oneself economically."
In an economy that is not performing well like Zimbabwe, it is imperative for artists to enhance their skills and find other means of survival.
There is need for effective skill and talent enhancement with the help from the government and Non Governmental Organisation because a lot of creatives like Langton Khumalo that are very capable have given up on the arts sector due to lack of support.
Lack of support and the need to survive in a difficult environment has forced them to hang their dance boots become to find other means of survival.
If artists are not supported, this will result in the dearth of the arts sector.
Raymond Millagre Langa is a musician, orator, writer and the founder of Indebo Edutainment Trust Follow Millagre Ray Langa on Facebook #Millagre Ray L, e-mail millagrepapaito@gmail.com. You can reach out to Indebo Edutainment Trust on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter indebotrust@gmail.com