SMP History & Brief
by Saimon Mambazo Phiri
Our major business is music, in fact all of our business is music and all arts. Every little now and then I wonder how connected we all are as individual beings living in a collective world. I wonder how much we really consider each other. Is life just a separate journey for each of us? Can I make your journey easier? Can you do the same for me? Is it safer to care for only yourself? Funny thing is, even if we choose a solitary path, the ripples from just our thoughts, let alone our actions, are enough to touch someone or something else. We are not solitary souls adrift in a world of chaos, though we may feel that at times. We are dynamic, creative, expressive individuals constantly contributing to the components of life…and thus we create our world. We wanted our business to convey that, and we want you to know our intentions. ……. someone or something comes along that makes us sit up and pay attention. Something that touches us at a level much deeper than routine…something that whispers to the soul because it holds value, honesty and integrity, beware, this may be that something.
The idea of a music production and promotion company came up a few years ago. Through my work with musicians and music makers at the Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Siyaya Arts, Black Arts Theatre & Cultural Collective (BATACC) and my brief stint with World Music Artists Alliance. I contemplated starting a truly professional music and arts company aiming to identify, groom, produce, promote and manage serious upcoming and established artists primarily from Africa and the rest of the world music circuit. It is to this effect Sabela Music Projects was formed. Sabela is a Zulu/Ndebele word, which means “respond”. This project is a call to all those artists who consider themselves talented, dedicated, and serious to come forward and show their creativity to the world.
World Music Brief
The hundreds of millions of people living in communities in Africa form a montage melting pot of cultures, traditions, beliefs, talents, religions, tastes and off course personalities and lifestyles. With these comes all kinds and all sorts of music. Music is part of everyday life in Africa as much as corn flakes are part of life in the developed world.
Growing up in shanty Makokoba townships in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe exposed people like me to all kinds of sounds, influences and rhythms, both censored and raw. All these music(s) coming out of the creativity and talents of melodic sons and harmonious daughters of Africa, travelling from African-Pop via Sungura, Mbira to Township Kwela, the 70’s Afro jazz, through House Beats in the 80’s, Pantsula in the 90s up to the recent sounds of Kwaito. “In times of happiness people sing and in times of sadness people still sing, music making is therefore a necessity not luxury. “ That has made people take their music and musical work very serious.
I have been part of the community that has continually watched some of the most talented and unique artists perish, leaving this world together with their lyrics, philosophies and reverberation. It has always killed me to think that we will never hear or see any of this talent again as there is no recordings or journals of these people’s works. Most of the recording, arts and music business affairs in my country of birth and a lot of African states are still in the hands of a chosen few. Voices and music from the minority communities may never be heard by any of the world arts lovers. Sabela therefore comes as a call to all talent of Africa to respond and get involved with our productions promotions and publications.
