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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
ONE of the hardest things to accrue in the world of arts in Bulawayo, irrespective of how talented and hardworking you are is money.

Art is about talent, working hard and smart, sentiments shared by media personality and activist, Patience “Pat” Phiri, an ever-present character in Bulawayo’s arts sector.

On Monday, Pat Phiri challenged creatives and lovers of art in Bulawayo to “take entertainment back to the communities we live in” through what she termed the #FlashPerformancesMovement on her Facebook page.

The idea behind the initiative is to try to help fellow artistes monetise their craft through working smart with people who surround them in the neighbourhoods they live in since charity begins at home.

“We started a masterclass series on Twitter spaces where we are trying to bring in accomplished entertainers to share their knowledge, experiences and skills so as to help up-and-coming ones in Bulawayo.

“The knowledge exchange programme was for artistes to understand certain aspects of the industry, inclusive of getting managers, booking agents, professional photography, understanding paperwork (artiste biographies, contracts etc.) and how they should carry themselves around,” explained Pat Phiri.

It is the norm that up-and-coming artistes complain the most about limited opportunities in the industry and it is under those circumstances that Pat Phiri laid a charge for them to take charge of their craft and “own it”.

During the Materclass Sessions, an individual challenged artistes to put money where their mouth is since, many a times, artistes complain and do nothing to improve their financial situations.

It is against this background that artistes were given a charge to work their way up from the bottom under the #FlashPerformancesMovement or #PerfomancesEbantwini where creatives are set to perform to random people in random places and thereafter, be bold and courageous enough to accept honest and constructive criticism from their audience.

Aleck Zulu and Zenzo Nyathi

The first artistes to be challenged were actors-cum-comedians Aleck Zulu and Zenzo Nyathi who are known by many as the security guys because of their socio-political satire skit.

According to Pat Phiri, accepting such a challenge would help up-and-coming creatives connect with their audience, build their character, boost their confidence, carve a niche for themselves and hear honest criticism from random audiences who will not show bias.

Pat Phiri encouraged creatives to shun pride and adopt the busking system usually done in international circles so as to collect money from audiences watching their performances.

Intwasa Arts Festival director, Raisedon Baya gave the initiative a nod and extended the invitation to creatives who have not joined yet.

“The initiative is about finding one’s audience and perfecting their craft in the process. This can only work if creatives realise that no one, but themselves owe them success. We have to hustle until we make it,” said Baya.

Pat Phiri went on to urge lovers of performing arts to lend a financial hand to make sure that these street and random performances become successful saying this will help boost the confidence of creatives who will partake. — @eMKlass_49