When it comes to creativity, Zimbabwe has not reached the best of its capability in terms of exposing itself to the rest of the globe. We've had quite a bunch of artists who've made it to the global stage but the industry has not been fully commercialized overall and it's mostly due to resources not being allocated to youth empowerment, it's not enough. If the young people won't be included in the running of the country at least they should be allowed to thrive as entrepreneurs in order to reduce poverty and dependency on the government. Either way, the creatives never sleep on their talent regardless of the limited resources and a whole system that doesn't care so much about them, why would they stop when it is in their inherent nature to break boundaries.
Award-winning artist and producer, Fish Ndaramu expressed his grievances over the lack of resources and investment for creatives. "Music is like any other business, there are risks involved and as artists, we'll continue to perfect our craft and maintain our originality even if no one invests in us. One wonders why is that Harare artists seem to be the ones making it beyond Zim borders and the truth is that the Southern Region has been systematically marginalized so no one seems to bother looking at the potential we have. Even our industries in other sectors are almost dead. I have nothing against Harare artists, I have utmost love and respect for my brothers but I wish Bulawayo arts could also get the same recognition especially from the radio stations too. I also urge our people to appreciate the culture a bit more and have a sense of patriotism so that we never lose what defines us."
Follow Fish Ndaramu on instagram and subscribe to his YouTube channel https://www.instagram.com/fishfndaramu/
All over the country, young people are riding on this wave of creativity as it is their only hope in finding a purpose, either that or they fall victim to the system that never really seeks to empower the young creative mind. Our schools simply train individuals to dwell on the idea of getting a job one day, nothing about being a critical thinker so these few individuals who set themselves apart from this system ought to be celebrated because they are the changemakers.
The Infamous Brand was founded on the basis of youth empowerment and through this platform we allow creative young people to put out their stories to the world. We caught up with Mthuthukisi Ndlovu who has established his own clothing brand in the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and he took us through the story behind his brand GOATS CLOTHING. Mthuthukisi developed a passion for fashion when he was in form 1 and he became obsessed, always keeping up with the latest trends and building his reputation as an influencer amongst his peers and other young people mostly within Bulawayo.
"There came a time when I realized that in as much as I loved all these designer brands and the idea of being known as the go-to guy when it comes to trendy fashion, I had to establish something that carried my name and told my story. The name GOATS was derived from the animal and not the acronym for "Greatest Of All Time". I feel like the goat relates to me and my brand in the sense that the animal is harmless and doesn't seem to be of any value, just like how people would view a local brand and I'm saying to the people, "Beware of the Goats", Goats don't bite but they do make noise. The noisemakers are the influencers in our society"
SOME OF THE WORKS BY GOATS CLOTHING
"Taking advantage of the influence I already had amongst many young people in Bulawayo, I decided to start customizing jeans and selling them. I started popping and worked hard to consolidate my reputation as one of the few guys with a retail store selling original apparel in Bulawayo. When people had a glimpse of my own clothing line GOATS they fell in love and started placing orders. What humbled me the most was seeing my brand in local music videos, this goes to show how much people are inspired by this brand and the story behind it. It's good when local people support a young kid's hustle."
Follow Goats Clothing on all social media platforms:
https://www.instagram.com/goats_clothing/ and place your orders on this whatsapp link GOATSZimbabwe is a land of opportunity and I believe that if we tap into our potential we'll progress as a nation. There's a lot of other young people who are putting their creativity into good use and matching up to world standards. I encourage many other young people to start being innovative, take advantage of the opportunities available. One secret you might have never learnt at school is that the country with the most problems has the most opportunities too if you focus on problem-solving. Huge thanks to organizations like ImpactHub and The Usawa Institute for supporting female empowerment. These organizations have afforded many young girls a platform to express their creativity through coding for example and many other programs. The future depends on the actions we take today. As Joshua Nkomo said in his final days, "the country will never die, young people will save it.”. We'll certainly not be going to the battlefront to claim our right to decide our future but through creativity, we'll impose ourselves on this system until it can no longer deny us our place in defining the future of this country.
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