BULAWAYO ARTS LEGENDS: SAIMON MAMBAZO PHIRI

EKASI TALKS WITH THE BULAWAYO ARTS LEGEND

"I have befriended death so I'm not afraid to die; but I'm not ready to die. That's why you will realize that ngingumfana olesibindi. Is'bindi sami ngisithola kuJehovah." With just these few words; the arts guru made his impact on Ekasi magazine. At the end of our conversation his statement had been justified. 

Born and raised in the City of Kings  Saimon Mambazo Phiri has lived as an artist from childhood. He describes himself as the Creative Interprenuer  and yet he has been labeled as the Mafia within the arts industry. Follow our conversation below and draw your own conclusion on who he really is.

WHO IS SAIMON MAMBAZO PHIRI?
I'm actually in my afternoon of my life. I was born in July 1975 at Mzilikazi Clinic, raised in a God-fearing Catholic family and baptized at a tender age, served as an altar server at St. Patricks for most of my youth days. I went to Lobengula Primary and Sobukazi High School. When I was in Form two; I was told that I would not make it in life. Hence; I embarked on this journey of Arts to prove a point to that person. 

HAS HE ALWAYS BEEN THE STAR HE IS TODAY?
My craziness began at primary school. Many a times i tell people how i blame my primary school teacher for not encouraging me. Had she cheered me on;  my journey would have begun at grade five. The things I was beaten for are the same things I have earned a living from. In all my life I have created noise, controlled noise and arranged noise. At high school I was more of a writer than any other thing. I once got into trouble for writing  a newspaper which challenged the school system. I was young and revolutionary by then. I dropped out of school at lower six because i already knew my future had nothing to do with what i was studying at school. Besides; my father was working hard to fend for us so I couldn't  afford to waste his money unneccesarily.
I was never idle even  after leaving school. I would work although i was not always paid for the things i did.

HIS JOURNEY AND EXPERIENCES IN THE ARTS
As i mentioned earlier, I ventured into arts to prove a point to someone. I started my arts career at Nostalgic Actors and Singers Association. In 1999 it was changed to SIYAYA for the purposes of registration with National Arts Council.  In 1993 we made our first tour to Zambia. The tour was unplanned. We just met some Zambians and we told them that we would be visiting their country. When we got to Livingstone we told the police a lie about our stolen transport money. We travelled on police document. We travelled until we were stopped by soldiers at the border of Zaire (DRC). It was during war and landmines were all over.
We had our first official tour to Europe in 1995. Our desire for touring was the reason why we started the NASA dance group after all. However; after our first tour,  most  of our guys were disappointed. After dancing and singing our souls out for the whites we still went back home with nothing to show for it. We returned to the sad reality of not owning a house. We felt the pain of sleeping on the kitchen floor despite having  been to Europe's best hotels . You would still get a constant reminder for the need to get a proper job because arts was not a job. Circumstances would stare at you and echo how art was for failures. It took years for my mother to acknowledge that I was working. 
Eventually i matured and found myself in my art. I grew to love the art in me and not myself in the art. I had spent half of my adult life proving a point to someone until i realized how toxic that was. I had to prove that point to myself. After one tour i had remained in Europe working there for six months. Due to my love for learning i adopted the systematic lifestyles of the white people. I introduced to the group the system of bank accounts  and contracts. I abolished the classist system within the group.  I ensured we were hired on a favorable contract for every performance. I became concerned about standards.
I had the privilege to attend the biggest arts festival;  PANFEST of 1998 in Ghana. I learnt from there how art could be used as a tool to change people's mindsets. It inspired me to see big companies like Cocacola giving back to Africa by funding the festival. Moreso, I have worked in 54 destinations  my whole life. That on its own equipped me to become the effective creative interpreneur that i am today. I don't believe in hiring services. If ever i hire it would be skills transfer because i would assign one of my team members to watch and learn. It explains why we published our own Bulawayo Arts Festival magazine and branded our water.

THE ONE WHO SPEAKS FOR MAKOKOBA TO THE WORLD
As I grew up, there was this saying, 'if you throw a stone in Makokoba you would either hit a footballer, thief, prostitute or an artist.' Fortunately if you would hit me I would be an artist. Our role models were thieves and prostitutes as we grew up. We celebrated crime. However; I must state that there is a spirit of ubuntu such that thieves from Makokoba never steal there. They become Robinhoods by stealing from elsewhere to give to Makokoba. All my life I have lived to tell a positive story about Makokoba despite the bad which everyone knows.
I once sent money from London for my boys to send me the litter from Makokoba for my play Kokoba Town. Indeed, the BCC plastic bins were packaged in large boxes and sent to me.  When I staged the play it brought nostalgia to the brothers and sisters in the diaspora. With that play, I really did take Makokoba to the world.

DOES HE CONSENT TO BEING THE MAFIA?
The Mafia has never had a meeting but I'm part of it. If the Mafia is what makes me put food on the table, create Bulawayo Arts Awards and Festivals, watch tv using a remote control and not borrow mealie meal from you; yes I am part of the Mafia. Otherwise the mafia is just a myth. As we get older in the industry we are expected to pave way. However we don't know where we are supposed to go because our aim is to create a legacy. That's why my family will benefit from my royalities after I die as  has the Shakespeare's lineage. 

ABOUT THE BULAWAYO ARTS AWARDS. 
We created the Bulawayo Arts Awards in the spirit of brotherhood. We chose to be the brothers we never had. The awards were initially Raisedon's idea. They are a successful product of Raisedon Baya, Rizla and Biggie the businessmen, Mavusani from Kalawa as well as Nkululeko Nkala. This year's edition of the BAA's will be on the 6th of November.

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY
Love the art in you and not yourself in the art. You are the only new thing within your art otherwise theatre was there even before us. Drop your ego. When the need arises, you should be able to sit in the same room with your competition and come up with a product. 

CLOSING REMARKS
While we can never be content as humans, God would be displeased with me if I would not appreciate the blessings he has given me. I've never been in pursuit of being filthy rich. All I ever wanted was to afford. As you can see I rent space at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and I am driving.  I have a good home, beautiful wife and kids. Although I lost my mother in February this year, I am grateful to God for all He has done in my life.