Dusted, Rizzen and Smiling!

Maya Roze | Monday June 23, 2014 16:54

Many other performers have opted to pull out due to similar issues, and they are the same ones with a bigger mileage in terms of footprint in the performance arts industry. I am taking their advice, but not to boycott the event, rather to be more audible. I may not speak French that fluently but I believe I have been a friend enough, so why am I not getting the same treatment. What did I ever do besides offer to help? Those questions are coming from a desperate, eager-to-please individual, the kind of person I am not any longer, nor trying to be.

Another thing that I am observing is as much as it hurts go jewa ke line up, how are the MCs to find a balance between pleasing the audience and pleasing the performers. Was it really necessary to allow others to go on a bit longer because of similar habits, or is it a weird way of gunning some of us down, so they feel better about themselves. Does the audience even care, seeing as they were not given programs so they didn’t know who was on when?

The point of this blog is not to rant and rave and bring down the brand of the fete, rather it is to express how deeply many people were disappointed, not because I did not perform, but because they were fooled into thinking it would be different. Some of us, always positive and looking for the good in others, had a strong hunch that is the same MCs were kept then obviously last year’s exclusion of acts was going to happen.

It stung a bit to see media review not leaning towards the positive, and how most people there said they didn’t even notice the performances, seeing as they were having enough fun mingling in the courtyard. Thank goodness Botswanacraft has a nice ambience that many are far from noticing a show falling apart. Deep down inside, at least one act got cut and hey, even big names have had to be cut off – also, people didn’t pay to come in, but they could have gone somewhere else had they known, like I knew backstage when I wasn’t running around looking for a drummer (mine was in Serowe).

How does one move forward? Well, have your own show and do your own thing, because things and times have changed and the flambouyant are taking over, meaning that we are the ones that have to try extra hard to get attention. Is my statement fair, I don’t know? All I know is that it is becoming apparent that it does not matter if you have been in the industry for more than 10 years, or that you are a brand – if you are not flambouyant, or have not been on My Star with dyed hair or blown up then you will not grab any attention. But that is the thing though – I do not want to do things that are out of my character or branding plan, or clash with my basic principles as the grown woman I am because I want to please people, so that I am put in earlier on the line up, or respected by fellow performance artists.

For me what I saw was maturity playing a big role, and many people being inconvenienced, and me apologizing for something that I had no doing in; it is sad, because it seems this year has been about watching people’s characters, calling them out on their behavior and severing ties – if it is not making me 300 bucks a day, then this relationship is pointless.

So yes, I see anger, fury and bitterness, but I also see growing, shaping and knowing how to separate desperation from determination. Did I mention, I got a call from a cop friend of mine to ask if I had performed and I told him no - he said I shouldn’t bother and probably make tracks and head home. Just take a wild guess why. Talk about being hooked up with social capital ne.

I will not boycott the Fete Dela Musique, I’ll just make my own show and have more time on stage and not have the same MCs. Fewer acts that way my shine is not stolen. It is a plan, one that I have no shame in and will reflect the growth I have been boasting about in the past few months. That is all.

So lets us move on, knowing how to strategically place people – if not me being taken advantage of, unfortunately some other artist is out there. We have to keep pushing and protect each other. Lesson learnt deep!

LIVE FREE GROW AND RESPECT THE ARTS!