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By Wisdom Mumera.

Qaya music progenitor Willis Watafi, of the Afrika Revenge group, has bemoaned the harsh Zimbabwean economy which has created a corrupt music industry necessitating the need for business acumenship for survival.

Speaking to News of the South Watafi, who split from his Afrika Revenge group partner Tazz, said the current economic environment has created a void of poverty into which corrupt tendencies have dug in.

“It’s a bit of a challenge in this environment where one has to pay the presenters a gratuity of sorts to get airplay favours”.

“When I started singing till this day I have never needed to pay anyone to play my music and its most probably because we were a working economy with honest hardworking people”.

“It’s a sad situation, today’s artists are not made on merit but on who can afford to bribe a Dj”, he said.

Watafi also commended Zim-Dancehall, the present craze in Zimbabwean music, but advised the need for business acumenship by the artists.

Zimbabwean Musician Willis Wataffi

“Zim-dancehall is still in its infancy and with great mentorship these amazing youngsters can actually turn into a business once they become more organized”.

“Love and passion drove me into music and I didn’t care whether anyone wanted to actually pay for my music. I only wanted to be played on radio and be heard and I enjoyed just watching people marvel at my voice and performance”.

“But later I had to get schooling in managing my finances. Actually, I started campaigns that enhanced my performances”.

“Previously I had no idea about the demographics that were sold my music so I had to focus on a demographic study and satisfy that market before my light withered”, he said.

“I opened up a company Qaya Rootz Musik as a trademark too and I started more income generating avenues by establishing my clothing labels and footwear companies as well as the Qaya Rootz Foundation”.

“Being an architect I also started designing clothes and opened a shoe making factory just 20km outside the capital and took advantage of the sacked ex-employee and got them to start making my designs and employ them and got into strategic partnerships with some of them”, he explained.

Watafi revealed that a new album is on its way soon though he could not divulge much information.
The album will be called Songs of David.

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