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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
UP-and-COMING performing artiste and former radio host at Kapitol Afrika Radio in South Africa, Mora Sidange, has said female artistes are not discriminated against, but many of them are easily intimated.

Popularly known as Mora, the ambitious artiste who recently returned to the country and is based in Gwanda, is also artiste manager at high rising X Studios stable.

As a go-getter who believes nothing is impossible, hence the desire to uplift young up-and-coming artistes in Zimbabwe, Mora responding to questions during an extensive online engagement that was facilitated by Gwanda’s TIME project on Monday evening, said its time female artistes take their stand.

“I would say us women discriminate ourselves or distance ourselves from arts growth. Its more like we are scared or intimidated easily such that we think that the arts guru league is for men.

“Imagine if Van Choga was a female, do you think a woman can take in all that humiliation or people laughing at you like that? So to other women out there I would say ‘art is for women, women must multi task to cope with whatever’. If a woman can run a full house of seven children and a husband then they can easily take over the arts world,” she said.

Mora said in doing such, she is a Jack of all trades in the arts sector.

“As an artiste, I do dance, drama, radio and TV and I chose art other than any other profession because I think its a field whereby you work freely and at your own pace. I would say my highest point would be in the radio presenting where at 22, I was hired as a co-host at Kapitol Afrika Radio and graduated to host in about two weeks after recruitment.

“I think its because where and when ever I am suppossed to open my mouth and talk there is my heart also. In South Africa I worked with a lot of artistes among them Nhlanhla Nciza, Dladla Mshunqisi and Professor.

“My lowest points would be like now where the global pandemic that we are facing has stopped quite a lot of things though things are opening up slowly. I personally can say it hit me hard because I had to resign from work and stay here and that cut short my on going adventure in the arts industry,” she said.

Mora said working with big South African artistes showed her the importance of time management.

“I think what normally disturbs our up-and-coming artistes is that there is poor or no time management at all and we as artistes must know that there is time for play and time for work.

“If art puts food on your table then put on your overalls and work you can’t for example rock up in a show drunk to the extent of not knowing what you are perfoming if you are a perfoming artiste,” added Mora. — @mthabisi_mthire.