Zimbabwean playwright, theatre director and arts educator Thabani H. Moyo has spent decades exploring the intersection between education and performance. Through the Centre for Talent Development (CTD), founded in 2014, Moyo has helped transform literature set-books into live theatrical experiences designed to deepen students’ understanding of the texts they study.
I have spent the past week watching the conversation around Intotal Band with a mixture of interest, amusement and, if I am being completely honest, some concern. I say that because I have been around the music business long enough to know that once a conversation moves from the industry into the public space, particularly onto social media, it can very quickly lose the nuance that the subject deserves.
If anyone ever doubted Bulawayo’s title as the undisputed cultural capital of the country, the…
VICTORIA FALLS Renowned award winning Zimbabwean actress singer and performer Qeqeshiwe “Qeqe” Mntambo has officially declared the start of a bold new chapter in her artistic career marked by a dynamic musical rebrand live tour dates and the upcoming release of her debut EP
Something important is happening in Zimbabwe’s music industry: we are finally having the copyright conversation we should have had years ago. What began around disputes over cover bands has opened a much bigger conversation about ownership, royalties, licensing, intellectual property and the systems meant to protect creators.
What actually makes someone the owner of music? If a guitarist or band member composes a guitar part, melody, arrangement or other important element of a song, does the singer automatically own that contribution simply because the song was released under the singer’s name? Where do we draw the line between the performer, composer, songwriter, arranger, producer and owner of the copyright? The conversation becomes even more complicated when a musician dies. We often hear people saying, “That was my father’s music,” “That was my husband’s music,” or “That is our family’s music.”
