Mhako, the man with a well-laid-out plot

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

ONE of the most-used statements in life is, “Life begins at 40”. Now, this is a subjective matter but for Plot Mhako, the world is surely becoming his oyster as his quest to be “part of that generation which made things happen” is slowly materialising.

 This past week, together with digital media company earGround in partnership with Gateway Music Stream, Mhako staged the inaugural Amplifaya Festival in Harare to give emerging voices a platform to showcase their craft.

Mhako is a well-known figure in the showbiz scene and due to such fame, different definitions of him emerge.

Saturday Leisure caught up with the creative social entrepreneur, dance promoter, arts journalist and Jibilika Dance Festival founder to open the lid on his life.

Mhako narrated how he got into the showbiz scene, citing particularly the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) in 1999 which acted as a springboard to his career, catapulting him to places he did not imagine himself in while he was just a mere O- Level student.

“Plot Mhako is a 40-year-old creative curator and arts journalist. I grew up between Shamva (Mashonaland Central) and Glen-View (Harare). I attended Glen-View 8 primary school then went to Glen-Norah 2 High School for my secondary education then Royal College for my high school before enrolling for my Mass Communication and Journalism at the Christian College of Southern Africa. Then many years later, I started pursuing my dream to become an entertainment journalist. 

“My biggest initiation was at the first Hifa in 1999 where I worked while doing my O- level. The Hifa experience gave me a glimpse into the world of the arts and the rest is history,’ Mhako said.

He said he has always been passionate about the arts, explaining why he continues to campaign for under-appreciated artistes by coming up with various initiatives to expose their talent. 

“I’ve always loved the arts, especially local creatives and their products. Over the years, I’ve been driven by the need to represent and promote under-appreciated artistes. Our art and artistes are 

under-represented. This was the goal of several initiatives at Jibilika Dance Trust. I hosted events, workshops and outreach programmes that helped nurture dancers, musicians and other creatives. 

“Seeing the impact fuelled my drive to continue representing the under-appreciated. As a trained journalist, I then decided to use various platforms, my pen and voice to echo the artist’s sentiments,” he said.

Among many initiatives spearheaded by Mhako, Jibilika Dance Festival founded in 2007 is among the most noticed and he concedes that, from that clay, he was moulded into what he is today.

“I learnt a lot of valuable lessons from organising Jibilika Dance Festival. I learnt how to organise a festival, nurture talent, brand and promote. The biggest lesson for me is that falling along the way is part of the process and it prepared me for bigger things and made me realise my weaknesses which I had to work on. 

“The experiences and valuable lessons became the foundation for me to pursue new projects,” Mhako said.

With a career spanning more than two decades, Mhako shared some of the problems that he sees as stumbling blocks to the arts sector’s growth, chief among those, hero-worshipping and a celebration of mediocrity.

Asked how he takes the backlash emanating from his punditry of the arts sector, Mhako said he is not moved.

“I’m no longer moved. Everyone has and will think some players within the industry feel entitled and are uncomfortable with truths or divergent opinions. There’s too much hero worshipping and celebration of mediocrity. The industry has a lot of gate-keeping and it’s this situation that prompts some to react in the manner they do when I raise critical issues. 

“However, I make every effort to make sure that I can back my outspoken and open mind with the actual work to complement all progressive efforts.” 

The digital media company, earGround has afforded Mhako a chance to identify, nurture, develop and amplify new voices and see the passing on of the baton from the old guard to the young.

“The creative and cultural industry thrives on continuous renewal and investment in the next generation of artistes. In Zimbabwe, we have, for many years, seen a line-up consisting of more or less the same faces despite the abundance of amazing talent across the country. It’s this new talent that the world wants to hear and experience. 

“Look at South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, they are leading not only in their countries but globally and at the forefront of this international offensive is a crop of new and young artistes. If we don’t invest in or promote the next stars, we’ll always be playing catch-up to the world,” said the founder of earGround. 

Showing how dedicated he is to having the voices of emerging artistes heard, Mhako came up with a Kombi Station Podcast that saw him travel around Zimbabwe profiling up-and-coming artistes. He made a mere commuting vehicle look classy, draping it with microphones and hosting interviews inside. Among those he has had interviews with are young songster Andrea The Vocalist, Indigo Saint, Muse and Young Junita among others.

The journalist vividly describes the travelling around his kombi as an eye-opening project that came to fruition with the Amplifaya Festival showcasing some of the talents.

In life, everyone has a higher calling to reach and Mhako’s is getting rid of ignorance through the attainment of new knowledge.

“In my spare time, I read a lot. I love to read and gain new knowledge and understanding.”

Mhako was instrumental in organising the Amplifaya Festival held in Harare last week where hordes of Zimbabwean artistes converged at the Heritage Adventure Park within the Rainbow Towers Hotel for performances and a workshop. At the festival Feli Nandi, Takura, DenimWoods, Boi Shona, Suhn, Leo Magozz, Mystery, Madeherbelieve, Moosafa King, Monzon, Shian, Dancehall Keddah, Solution GC, Dough Major, Lloyd Soul, Kyla Blac, Shaku Chanté, Ace Frvr, Alvin The New Guy, Dingo, Kim Makumbe, Benard Betera, Tanto Wavie, Dj Krimz, Terry Gee, Chipo Muchegwa, Yenge family, Ti Gonzi, Blot, Dobba Don, DJ King Her, Nyasha David, Ishan, Malish, Andrea The Vocalist, Noluntu J, MJ Sings, Tebza, Kyla Blac and Murphy Cubic joined forces for a common artistic union.

Mhako said the festival was a result of the need to give new voices a chance to shine.

“The festival was born out of an observation that there’s a sharp rise in new amazing voices and talents yearning for a platform and opportunity to showcase, express and grow. The country is endowed with an abundance of unheard talent and these new voices are set to become the next global superstars. 

“These are artistes who’re waiting for an amplifier to blow up and be heard. These new voices are spread across the country and come in various genres. The young population already connects and some of them are already disrupting the daily playlists and our taste buds. “The festival was long overdue. The amount of new amazing talent in the country is amazing and we need more platforms,” said Mhako.

 Fuelled by the mantra, “Be humble, stay hungry, work hard and start” Mhako has soldiered on and motivates any up-and-coming creative to keep dreaming and never stop.

“Whatever you can imagine, you can achieve. So, never stop feeding that drive,” he said.

 The arts sector in Zimbabwe is synonymous with a diamond in the rough, exhibiting a lot of potential and having room for improvement and Mhako thinks a paradigm shift in attitude would be necessary if improvements are to be recorded.

“In Zimbabwe there is a need to change the attitude. Our general attitude has proven to be a major barrier to our art making it internationally. We don’t want to learn. We know it all. We love to copy what’s trending. We don’t fully appreciate and support authentic local music. 

“Look at bands like Mokoomba and Nobuntu. They’re barely known in Zimbabwe but internationally, they’re favourites,” he said.

 Hurdles are part of the journey and Mhako has had his fair share of those but he faces them head-on.

“I face a lot of challenges but I use some of them as opportunities to remain committed to what I do. One of the key challenges has been resources to pursue the work. However, I have learnt how to use networks, collaborations and social capital to drive the work,” he said. 

After the Amplifaya Festival, Mhako and his team are looking into the future, casting an eye on distant lands.– @eMKlass_49

Article Source: The Chronicle