Opportunities for Artists with Disabilities
By Mr Bright T. Kadengu – Creative Director Thisability Hub
Growing up with a disability in a conservative Africa nation of Zimbabwe where the Arts industry was really frowned upon. I for one never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would one day be a successful artist. However, things have changed over the years and I have become a successful artist in my own right. Today the Arts industry has since evolved and gone to become a global multi-billion-dollar industry that is contributing significantly towards the GDP of many countries. Zimbabwe over the years has also started appreciating the value of the arts industry, this can be seen through various endeavors being made by government and private players to promote the industry.
Steve Wonder, Salif Keita and DJ Black Coffee are some of renowned multi-million-dollar artists that have defined the odds thrust against them by impairment and society to become what they are today. In Zimbabwe we have the likes of our own “Dr Love” the late Paul Matavire, Prudence Mabhena, Soul Bone, Greatman Gwaze and Culture King. If you ask them, they will tell you it has never been a walk in the park and also that it doesn’t take only your God given talent to become the best. One needs resilience and very strong courage to make it. Artists with disabilities need to be extra tenacious to be successful in the industry because besides cultural barriers and being looked down upon by society there are bad apples out there masquerading as sponsors, promoters and even mentors. These people in some instances tend to take advantage of artists especially artists with disabilities.
A question that is mainly asked by people with disabilities is “how can one benefit from this lucrative Industry?”
I will attempt to answer this question below:
Festivals:
International promoters say It’s always a good idea to start from home. In Zimbabwe we have many local festivals which artists with disabilities can take advantage of to gain exposure. From my observation the most popular one is; Harare International Festivals of the Arts, (HIFA). My advice would be before an artist participates in any festival, the artist must first research on the festival he or she wishes to be part of in terms of how one can apply to participate be it locally or internationally. It is also good to approach their offices to also verify what their recommendations would be before applying. Besides benefiting financially festivals also give you that rare opportunity of showcasing your talent to a new clientele or audience. As an artist you will be able to interact with local and international professional artists agencies and promoters.
Arts Exhibitions:
Exhibitions give artists that rare opportunity to showcase and market their products to renowned international art buyers and sellers who may assist an artist reach those new markets that are hard to reach.
Intellectual Property Rights:
Lately I have realized that artists with disabilities do not have much interest in acquiring the requisite knowledge on intellectual property rights which are however a very important component of our art. I strongly urge musicians with disabilities to approach the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) and register to be a member. Zimura has numerous benefits for it’s membership which go beyond protection of intellectual property rights of artist’s music.
Social Media:
We live in a modern technology era. I urge artists to move with the trends by making sure that they take advantage of social media for example having a Twitter, Facebook and or Instagram page that represents your brand goes a long way in marketing your art. Social media sites such as YouTube actually pay artists for achieving certain milestones in terms of viewership. I have also observed that lately many corporate entities have began sponsoring content on social media by artists who have a huge following. This could also be a good way of generating income.
In conclusion I would like to state that the sky is the limit when it comes to opportunities that await artists with disabilities. However those opportunities will probably not come knocking on your door. As an artist you should take a leap of faith and go out there to grab these opportunities. As Thisability Hub we are in the process of finalizing an Online Store. Soon artists with disabilities will be able to sell their art internationally through our the store. Here in another opportunity for artists with disabilities to grab!
Email: info@thisabilityhub.org.zw or WhatsApp: +263717608752 for more information.