By Sharon Muguwu
Johannesburg-based chanter Jah Seed and Zimdancehall promoter Hillary “Punchline” Mutake have introduced a “Dancehall Queen Contest” that will see female Zimbabwean artistes walking away with prizes.
Mutake told the Daily News that the contest would be the biggest on the Zimdancehall scene.
“It will see two winners flying to South Africa for the grand finale. The winner will walk away with R25 000 and the second prize is R12 500. The SA trip will be wholly-sponsored while the show will also be recorded for screening on SABC1,” said Mutake who has previously managed Freeman and Lady Squanda.
“Ladies aged 18 and above who hold a valid Zimbabwean passport and are locally-based are the right candidates. Preliminary rounds will be held here in Harare. The first round will be in September and the second in October. Winners will leave for South Africa in November for the finale.”
At the finale, Zimbabwean winners will contest against their South African counterparts who have already been selected.
The respected Zimdancehall promoter defended the choice of South Africa as the host of the “Dancehall Queen Contest” finale.
“We chose South Africa because that’s where the contestants will meet and we are using the country as a platform to launch our artistes,” he said adding that the contest has been cloned from a similar one popular in Jamaica.
“So right now South Africa is the home of this contest. We are looking forward to joining the Jamaican contest in 2017.” Daily News