TellZim Reporter
Budding artists in Masvingo have been challenged to come up with pieces of work that are realistic and attainable in carrying out their advocacy work if their messages are to have a positive impact on their audience.
Speaking during a music advocacy training workshop for the 17 artists selected by Masvingo Root for Development (Marodo), MyAge Trust Projects Officer Obedience Mazenge urged the youthful artist to make sure they go for effective pieces of work that will have a huge impact on their audience.
“Your work demands you to come up with pieces of work that answer to SMART that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timeous. There is no need for you to waste time, energy and resources hitting around the bushes, just go straight to the point and that is key in advocacy.
“Since we are dealing with challenges affecting the youth of today that is drugs and substance abuse and GBV, we need to identify our key stakeholders that is singling out key government ministries like Youth, Education, Higher education, Health and Home Affairs among others,” said Mazenge.
He also said in order for the music to reach out the correct target, the writer or composer should correctly identify the target audience.
“For you to drive your message home, there is need for you to identify the correct audience. Not everyone is your audience, so avoid involving people who are not necessarily concerned with your line of work.
“Coming to the issue of developing and delivering an advocacy message, you need to come up with strategies that enables effective delivery and those need to be systematic,” added Mazenge.
One of the artists Arthur Madondo said he learnt that advocacy is all about speaking out and creating awareness.
“I have learnt that advocacy is all about creating awareness as well as speaking out against something affecting a particular section of society. I have that as artists we need to identify the real problems and then come up with solutions to those problems.
“We are going to speak on behalf of the community we serve which we feel is voiceless when it comes to challenges affecting their lives. I also got to know of the elements of advocacy that is being able to speak and speak clearly,” said Madondo.
Another trainee artist Rutendo Gumbo vowed to make use of the advocacy skills imparted to them towards the benefit of their communities and the nation at large.
“As part of music advocacy work, we are going to use the skills we got to fight and put to an end the challenges that are affecting our communities. I will try to make sure I provide a voice for the voiceless and help the victims of gender based violence through creating awareness.
“We have been taught how to diagnose the main causes of GBV while at the same time trying to come up with practically workable solutions to such problems,” said Gumbo.
A total of 17 budding artists passed through the auditions by Marodo and were awarded recording contracts for churning out advocacy music.
