article by Robson Felix D

One of the best collaborations ever thought of, still remains an imagination. Have you ever imagine a collaboration of two Zimbabwe’s Best comedians? a picture that even the audience from the 90s was denied of. The Zimbabwe music industry is awash with collaborations, some of which were never thought of , hence this has resulted in extraordinary songs being produced under the sun.

Sulumani Chimbetu(sungura artist) ft Sojah luv(zimdancehall artist) and winky D(a dance hall artist) ft Vabati vajehova(a gospel group) collaborations, just to mention a few, these artists combined all their teams and used their unique lyrics and genres to produce new and unexpected musical pieces. Can’t the same be done in Zimbabwe’s film and drama industry?, such that a new theme can be created. The only time two names of Zim’s great comedians are mentioned,in the streets, is when there are put to comparison. Well, since the 90s our artists were working individually with their production teams, this was because their uniqueness natures the arts and entertainment industry of Zimbabwe.

However now in the digital era there is need to apply the music industry’s art of promoting collaborations, as this will also pave way for exchange of ideas between the writers and the directors,who will working shoulder to shoulder on the same project using different ideas. According to live and death productions , there are five reasons why artists should collaborate and these do not just apply in music but also in film as seen through western media. The five reasons listed are:1Building of good relationship this applies both the the characters and their teams, this will broaden both teams connection, since by working together the artists will share their connections.

2 Learning of new things: research has found out that people who stay in the arts industry for a long time, find it difficult to come up with new ideas,hence they find themselves repeating the same themes over and over again. Hence by collaboration artists in the drama and film industry will learn new ideas, by adopting new ways of creativity from the other artists in their industry. This also applies to musicians, were our industry should also consider the 90s way of in cooperating musicians in their productions, for example in the local drama NERIA which was featured by the late Jazz Legend Dr Oliver Mtukudzi.

3 creating something unexpected: this has been mention and explained earlier, its about how collaborations can help artists create new products by putting together their ideas. By working together , this can speed up production and make it a bit cheaper, in Zimbabwe most of the artists are self sponsored and still operating at a low scale, a collaboration can result in shared expenses. 5 combines audiences: when ever you put two famous people together you also gather together their followers. Hence collaborations help widen the fan base for all the artists and the production houses. If we check some of the western movies which have become more popular they have more than one well known star, either from different genres, a horror star can be put on the same project with a comedian.

Have you ever wonder how a combination between Mukadota and Mutirowafanza was going to turn out? or Gringo and Zuku’ baba bhobha’?. Well, producers still have another chance to turn the T.V screens of Zimbabwe into a new beginning, something big and crazy. Vharazipi and Kapfupi’s combination can be brought into a living idea, a new era of comedy has dawned on the streets of Zimbabwe.

article by Robson Felix D

Article by Robson Felix D

Have you ever come to think about the Zimbabwean drama industry of the late 80s to the 90s? These remain the best Zimbabwean t.v shows and drama series that saw the citizens captivated by television in Zimbabwean homes. The characters became a song in the streets of Zimbabwe, with their names even reaching to the remotest parts of the country.

Names such as MUKADOTA character played by the late Safirio Madzikatire; PARRAFIN played by the late Phillip Mushangwe; ZUKU known as ‘Baba Bhobha’; MUTIROWAFANZA character played by Simon Shumba ;GRINGO character played by Lazarus Boora. These names make the foundations of Zimbabwean film and comedy. Although some of them are now late,such as Safirio Madzikatire and Phillip Mushangwe, their great works still exist among the Film industry and television screens of Zimbabwe. Their names are still called and talked about as if there just walking on earth, which cements the notion that ‘ human never die and get entirely forgotten on earth as long as there is that person who carries us in their memories everyday, the memories we leave makes us immortal’

The coming of the millennium resulted in a decrease of the number of such Television characters . However the industry came back with a twist. This was seen by the entering of names such as KAPFUPI(the short one) character played by Freddy Manjalima, through the street theater, and SABHUKU VHARAZIPI( headman pull up your zipper) character played by David Mubaiwa. These are characters made up by a recollection of the above mention legends, hence these current stars, with their tremendous work, are a high-breed of the legends of Zim-comedy . This sums up the Zimbabwean comedy industry before the digital edge.We were checking the rear view mirror as we travel through time.

article by Robson Felix D

DOES DEPRESSION EXIST IN ZIM SOCIETY?

story by Robson dhliwayo felex

IS depression considered a medical issue by the Zimbabwean community? Or its oneof the issues that both the media and people choose to be silent about.

 As the number of suicides has increased in Zimbabwe, one begins to wonder whether it is spiritual issued that needs prophets and religion.

 Zimbabwean society has been affected by different problems, people are facing difficulties to go by with their day.

 Among some of the problems affecting Zimbabwe is economic meltdown which has caused financial problems for a lot of Zimbabwean individuals, impoverishing the citizens.

 A number of illnesses have been recorded in Zimbabwe having being caused by the financial problems among them, cholera,typhoid and high blood pressure.

 These illnesses have been seen physically on the human body with symptoms such as running stomach, swollen feet, but there is one illness that has attacked Zimbabwe’s society, that can’t be seen by the eye, but needs expects which is depression.

 This mental illness has resulted in taking people’s lives in the country, a number of young people have resulted by taking their own lives either by hanging or drinking poison.

 According to the latest WHO data published in 2017 Suicide Deaths in Zimbabwe reached 1,641 or 1.30% of total deaths.

The age adjusted Death Rate is 17.54 per 100,000 of population ranks Zimbabwe is number 19 in the world.

Apparently scientists have found out that depression is Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable.

 Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.

 It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.

 This is according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Depression can be measured as minor and major depression the following are symptoms of depression Feeling sad or having a depressed mood, Loss of interest or pleasure inactivities once enjoyed,

Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting, Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, Loss of energy or increased fatigue, Increase in purposeless physical activity. For example hand-wringing or pacing or slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others),Feeling worthless or guilty, Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions, Thoughts of death or suicide.

However some might view depression as being the same as sadness, as in sadness caused by grief and other issues such as heartbreak which is why the sickness is often over looked in Zimbabwe.

  The two are very different in two important ways. In grief or heartbreak, painful feelings come in waves, often intermixed with positive memories of the deceased whereas major depression, mood and/or interest (pleasure) are decreased for most of two weeks.

In grief or heartbreak, self-esteem is usually maintained, whilst, in major depression,feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing are common.

Most Zimbabwean people both adults and young adults are being affected with the sickness yet ending up losing their lives, the healthy sector in Zimbabwe should foster counseling services in schools and the communities so as to help fight this mental enemy.

THE MAGIC OF SLEEPING POSITIONS NOT KNOWN TO MEN

 Story by Robson dhliwayo felix

 According to scientists study it is suggested that how you sleep could help reduce your chances of developing cognitive concerns later in life. The study, published inThe Journal of Neuroscience, found that the way a person’s body is positioned while they sleep could affect the brain’s waste clearance system. While we sleep, toxins are flushed from the brain through tiny lymphatic vessels.

  The study found that there are many benefits to sleeping on your left side Sleeping o the left side allows gravity to encourage the food waste to move more easily from the small intestine into the large intestine through the (ICV) ileocecal valve on the right side of the body into the beginning of the large intestine. Sleeping on the left side helps the waste to move more easily into the descending colon.

 The biggest player on the heart is on the left side, sleeping on the left side will improve the blood flow. When a person sleeps on their left side it helps the heart to pump more easily. The aorta, the biggest artery in the body, leaves the top of the heart and arches to the left before it heads down into the abdomen.Most large intestines will be hanging away from the heart when a person lies on their left side of the body.

 The other benefit of this sleeping position is, it reduces heart burn, and it puts the junction between the stomach and oesophagus above the level of gastric acids.This prevents heart burns at night. Some of the University Students confirmed that when they sleep on their left side they do not experience heart burn,’when I get heart burn at night I sleep I try to sleep on my left side, it reduces the heart burn’’, said Mitchelle Ngwenya an MSU student studying animal science.

 However some of the people do not agree with the idea of the sleeping position since one does not know how many times they turn or switch sides at night. ‘’ people tend to turn a hundred times in their sleep so I don’t think it actually works’’declares some of the people asked in the interviews carried out. Some suggested that the idea of sleeping positions depends with the person‘s dominant side,(if one is left handed or right handed).

Story by robson dhliwayo felix

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton