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Mthabisi Tshuma, [email protected] 

For the past couple of years, a lot of talent has been sprouting from Gwanda and behind this movement is a man who has been pushing behind the scenes. 

Master Zhoe (real name Thembinkosi Zhou), an artiste and entrepreneur from the town has been the pivotal pillar down south of the country as he has been instrumental in putting Gwanda artistes on the map for the past five years.

Making music is an expensive venture that leaves many artistes with huge holes in their pockets. To ensure that the town’s talent is unearthed, Master Zhoe through a music studio that he co-owns, X Studios, has availed the studio to artistes for free as a way of supporting their careers. By doing this, he has managed to ensure that he does not rise alone as he has been enabling the town’s artistes to produce high-quality music. He has also financed projects of a number of artistes.

This has made them bloom as they are now household names in Gwanda. Their presence has also been felt in other parts of the country with some also making names for themselves outside the country. 

The studio which was established in Gwanda has since spread across the Matabeleland region and now has a branch in Bulawayo.

Among those he has worked with are Zhezhingtonz, Bry and Kay Kid.

After identifying and recording their music, Master Zhoe has gone the extra mile and organised events in Gwanda where he often ropes in regionally acclaimed artists. Among those he has invited to these events are South Africa’s Professor and recently, Dr Malinga. This, he has done to open doors for the local artistes by giving them the rare opportunity to interact and be exposed to and inspired by the established artistes. The lucky ones have even landed collaborations and among these is Zhezhingtonz. 

According to Master Zhoe, he has been doing this out of the love he has for the industry and the people of Gwanda.

“I’m passionate about art and music in particular. There’s great talent in small towns and most times, it goes unrecognised. I really want to change that narrative. My wish is to see youngsters shining and making a living through art because it’s possible,” he said.

Master Zhoe said in an era where drug abuse is the order of the day, it is crucial to pay attention to the youths and ensure that they are kept off the streets. 

DJ Drumz, Professor and Master Zhoe

“Through music, we can make the youths aware that drugs are not the only solution to social trauma. I believe as artistes we have that mandate. This is why we’re working on an anti-drug abuse campaign that we’ll roll out in the coming months. We want to encourage zero tolerance of drugs.” 

He said with the help of his team, they are also working on a talent search programme like Starbrite that will focus on identifying talent mostly in remote areas.

“We’ve noticed that there’s so much talent in remote areas that goes unnoticed because we don’t give them a chance to showcase it.” – @mthabisi_mthire