By Esther Gomo
HARARE – Zimbabwe dancehall music artist Sniper Storm says he refused to perform at the Big Nuz concert at the Kebab Centre in Harare over the weekend because show promoters failed to honour an agreement to pay him the ‘agreed’ fee.
In a statement sent to Nehanda Radio, Sniper issued an apology to his fans but also made a rallying call saying “we must start taking a stand about the bad treatment of your Zimbabwean Artists.”
“Sadly this is becoming very common in Zimbabwe, when Local Artists are treated as second rate. I am very angry at yet again, committing, being used to promote an event, with no return to my livelihood,” he said.
Sniper said “I don’t normally complain in public, but enough is enough. Two week ago, the arts industry suffered another blow financially with the “Mi Casa” (No) Show.” A lot of artist like him he said “rely on these bookings and fees”.
He said not being able to perform at the Big Nuz show meant he missed out on the opportunity to perform elsewhere, where he could have been “entertaining my fans and earning at least something.”
“The lost finances mean that my role as bread winner is compromised. Some artists live as destitutes. Some artists fail to meet their rent payments. It costs us a LOT of money to produce the Albums, Rehearse our sets.
“Our support teams, transport, food, CDs… the list is LONG. It’s not cheap to be The General, or any other of the Zimbabwean local artists. Big Nuz where paid in full, and will leave the Zimbabwean industry less whatever many thousands of dollars they were paid to be here. Lucky them,” Sniper fumed.
Sniper urged artists to unite against “the new disease of being undervalued” and said the arts council and the relevant ministries should “toughen up promoter licenses. They cannot keep using our names on posters to draw big crowds to line their pockets and then fail to pay us our honest wage,” he said.
