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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE establishment of a Disc Jockeys Association of Zimbabwe (DJAZ) which will be launched this Friday is a rare opportunity that will put DJs in Victoria Falls and Matabeleland North as a whole in the spotlight.

A virtual launch for the newly formed DJAZ is scheduled for Theatre in the Park at Harare Gardens on Friday where it will be livestreamed on social media between 12 noon and midnight.

Club deejaying is one industry that is growing fast in Victoria Falls where a new crop of both male and female DJs have come on board.

There are a few others in Hwange and Dete while efforts are being made to identify members in Binga and Lupane, DJAZ Matabeleland North representative DJ Fatso said.

DJ Fatso, full name Farai Katuruza, DJ Spevar and DJ Snappy, all from Victoria Falls are the only ones that have confirmed registering with the association.

In an interview yesterday, DJ Fatso said the association is an opportunity for Victoria Falls DJs to be known to the outside world.

He said the resort town has quality DJs who can meet international standards, with him having been set to perform at the Okavango Festival which was supposed to be held on August 28 in neighbouring Botswana.

“We have members in our province particularly in Victoria Falls, Hwange and Dete and we are busy identifying others across the province. You would understand that the association was formed during lockdown hence its work in progress.

“The vision is to produce professional DJs that will meet international standards. So, this is to establish a platform where DJs are viewed as professionals and dispel the misconception that Deejaying is all about beer and drug abuse as well as prostitution. In other countries Deejaying is a paying job and we want the industry to realise that this is actually a profession,” said DJ Fatso.

He said in the long run the association will establish a Deejaying academy to inspire youngsters.

“We want to be able to come up with minimum standards and rates for the profession,” he said.

Formed by DJs and MCs in Zimbabwe and already with more than 400 members, DJAZ seeks to protect DJs and MCs, provide awareness and educational platforms, develop artistic skills as well as provide legal services to DJs and entertainment professionals in Zimbabwe, according to a statement from its national secretary Allan Mambo.

“DJAZ was established also for the purpose of addressing hardships the industry face after noticing the absence of representation of DJs and MCs at national initiatives,” said Mambo.

He said the association will strive to create a professional working environment for members while the launch will also be used as a campaign against Covid-19 which left many of DJs and MCs counting their losses following cancellation of events and closure of bars and nightclubs.

DJAZ has since been registered with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and membership is drawn from all the country’s provinces.

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