On the 9th of September 2018, I visited the Motown Museum as part of my trip organized by the Zimbabwe culture Centre of Detroit (ZCCD) & the University of Michigan. One thing that interested me and opened my eyes at Motown was when the curator told us that Motown had an artist development department. This department taught artists how to carry themselves in public. How to walk, how to sit, how to greet people etc., this is because non-verbal communication has a lot of impact on how one conducts business and how one is perceived. When an artist goes on stage looking defeated and looking like he is not sure of what he is supposed to do it affects his performance and how the people in the crowd judge the performance, confidence is part and parcel of the performance.

So when I came back to Zimbabwe I began to take note of the body language amongst my fellow musicians I discovered and learned a lot. Throughout my career, I have worked with all genres that are performed in Zimbabwe, so I have inside info too. I then noticed that if a group of musicians enters the studio it is usually easy to tell what genre they play. Besides looking at how one dresses one thing that separates artists is the body language. I’m not a body language expert but I enjoy studying it. Body language has a lot to do with how you are perceived and that affects even your bargaining power in business. So here is my assessment so far.

MBIRA MUSICIANS:
This is a group of musicians who are known for being the custodians of Zimbabwean culture and they live it. Zimbabwean culture is very hierarchical and respect is the order of the day. As a result, Mbira musicians are very respectful, they address everybody with their totem, which is considered very respectful in Shona culture. They address everybody plurally, another sign of respect in Shona culture, they rarely address anybody as “iwe” (You), they always use “Imi” (Plural) instead. Before passing in front of an elderly person they clap their hands in a style called “Gusvu”, as a polite way of saying excuse me. The clapping is also part of Shona culture greeting, as a sign of respect usually the back is bent inwards as a sign of meekness.

Although this is very commendable It is very easy to mistake their meekness for weakness, as a result of my assessment Mbira musicians are the most abused musicians in the music business. I spoke to a lot of Mbira musicians who have passed through my studio i have heard so many sad stories of how they were taken advantage of many times.

SUNGURA ARTISTS
Most Sungura musicians carry themselves in a way that seems to be too submissive. They always act like vakuwasha (Sons in law) In Zimbabwean culture a son-in-law is expected to be very submissive when in the presence of his in-laws. Sungura musicians always act like they don’t belong where they are. They usually address everybody with respect as “Mukoma”(A respectful title given to an older brother) if it’s a man and “sisi” or “vatete”(Auntie) if it’s a woman. Even their voice tone & facial expressions during discussions is usually very submissive like they are speaking to a boss every time. I believe this is partly because the majority of them either grew up in rural areas or in the farming areas; as a result, they have a certain amount of inferiority complex especially when speaking to people who grew up in the City, anybody financially better than them, or anybody in a position of authority.

Their meekness always ends up appearing like a lack of confidence. In the modern business world, it is not good for business. As a result, a lot of Sungura musicians are taken advantage of.

But Sungura musicians can be difficult too, some of them who want to appear confident end up being arrogant, rude, and difficult. You can notice this easily during musicians’ meetings.

REGGAE MUSICIANS
this group of musicians usually love to talk in patois-influenced language. Every older man is addressed as “Elder”, if it’s a woman she is addressed as a sister or as a “Queen”. Most of them are respectful but have a certain amount of street cred, some assertiveness. As a result, most of them appear to be confident. Even the way they walk is a mixture of confidence and humility which is good for business.

DANCEHALL ARTISTS
These artists just like Reggae musicians are very much influenced by Jamaican culture. So they address each other and other people with patois-influenced terms too. But there is a clear divide between them. Some of them are very respectful like Reggae artists, they address every older person as “Elder” every woman as “Sistraan” or “Queen”, but another group of them is very rowdy, disrespectful, and disorderly. This is also reflected in their fans, dancehall fans are very difficult to deal with. Promoters are known to erect fences around the stage at some dancehall gigs because the fans are known to throw cans on stage if they are not happy with an artist.

RAP ARTISTS
Most Rap artists carry themselves with so much confidence. I’m sure this has something to do with them studying the Rap culture in the USA. American Rap artists always have this intimidating, overconfident body language. Having been to the USA many times I noticed that this is very normal amongst African Americans. It’s good for business, but there is a thin line between confidence and arrogance.

RHUMBA MUSICIANS
Obviously, 99% of them are from DRC. These guys are so obsessed with fashion and looking good. Body language wise they portray a lot of confidence and assertiveness, no matter how poor they might be. In the studio, they are very difficult to work with. They fight very often too amongst themselves. When it comes to respect, one person they worship is someone who will be sponsoring them or anybody who is rich. They sing about them in their music to appease them in a style called ‘Mabanga’

JAZZ MUSICIANS:
These are usually known to be gentle, well-dressed, and well-mannered people. Body language wise they usually carry themselves with confidence. Their body language, the way they dress, and the way they talk are very good for business. As a result, they are known to work very well with the corporate world. Even their shows attract business people and the financially stable class of the community.

GOSPEL ARTISTS
I find that they fit in any category depending on which genre they use to preach. Gospel is the message, not the music style.

Clive “Mono” Mukundu

Zimbabwean music producer and Author