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Prof Moyo

Bongani Ndlovu Entertainment Correspondent
NATIONAL musical galas should be for successful, talented artistes and crowd pullers, not chancers, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has said.
“Galas should be for those who are successful who will attract people and those who are good at what they are doing, not thatha machance (chancers),” Moyo told journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club last week.

Responding to a question that disabled people should be given a quota in national galas, Moyo said the culture of entitlement was wrong.
He said the reason why people felt that those with disabilities should get a quota in national galas was that others were enjoying unexplained and unjustified entitlement at the galas.

“Maybe we, through Rtd Major Anywhere Mutambudzi have given some artistes the feeling that they have an entitlement to feature in every gala.
“Just because they carry a guitar, or they can sing in the shower, or even because they are his (Rtd Major Mutambudzi) friends,” said Moyo drawing laughter from the crowd.

“We must solve that problem.”
Moyo added that he was having a discussion with Mutambudzi – who is Director of Urban Communications in the ministry – that there was no need for all night galas.
“Look we can’t continue having these galas of entitlement. Pungwe to pungwe, where the gala starts at 8pm and ends at 2pm the next day. You go to eat dinner, sleep and wake up and it is still there. Go to the bank come back and they are still there,” Moyo said.

“If it is a good thing, it must last for a short time, be enjoyable and disappear so that people will want it again.”
Moyo said his ministry would have seminars and discussions with affected people with disabilities.

“It will be a good thing for Rtd Major Mutambudzi and his colleagues to have serious seminars and discussions with affected people with respect to this example. To come with a knowledge-based, skills-driven and generally a merit-based as opposed to an entitlement-based approach,” he said.

Moyo said some people with disabilities had exceptional talent and in terms of the Broadcasting Services Act, should be included in programmes.
“Some of the people with disabilities have exceptional talent. In terms of the Broadcasting Services Act, yes, there is need for broadcasting content that addresses the full spectrum that has national objectives as they are outlined in that act,” he said.