By Clive mono` Mukundu

A mentor is someone who teaches, guides, or gives information about a certain career path, as well as provides motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. You can mentor someone unknowingly too. But on this list, I’m mentioning those that deliberately chose to.

In Zimbabwe, we have had individuals & institutions who worked selflessly behind the scenes as mentors. Some of them, like Isaac Chirwa, were lucky to have mentees who acknowledged them every now & then, but some were not so lucky, so they are known by very few people.

As a result, my list is not an exhausted list, since these people work behind the scenes obviously there are some that I do not know, so please feel free to add more names, but here is my list:

SHEPHERD CHINYANI:
He is a Sungura musician based in Dzivarasekwa. He fronts a band called Vhuka Boys. He is well known as a selfless helper who has helped a long list of musicians. A good number of top artists passed through this man’s hands, the likes of Alick Macheso, John Chibadura, Ngwenya Brothers, Somandla Ndebele, etc.

At times he would coach artists, & play for them at the studio too. He was also known to be very punctual during those studio sessions; many times he would be the first to arrive before the project owner. During my early days in the industry, I also did a number of rehearsals with my band at his house in DZ.

THE BOOK CAFE:
This was one of the most effective music mentorship & artistic development centers ever to come out of Zimbabwe. I believe its model needs to be replicated & centers should be built along with its model.

The book Cafe was founded in 1993 by Paul Brickhill. It worked in conjunction with Pamberi Trust, another dedicated arts organization. The Book Cafe worked as an entertainment venue, as well as an arts development center. Many Zimbabwean artists had their first experience on stage at this place. The Book Cafe also ran a number of workshops & competitions to teach & motivate new musicians.

The organization had a number of in-house mentors who were very dedicated to the arts industry that including Penny Yon, Hector Mugani & many more. Sadly, with the passing on of the founder Paul Brickhill in 2014,& may be other factors that I am not aware of, the organization failed to carry on,& it was closed in 2015.

ISAAC CHIRWA:
He is also one person who mentored many artists including me, Minister Mahendere, etc. But luckily, some of his mentees always acknowledge him.

During his days as a music producer at Shed Studios, as well as during his days as a Gospel music session musician mid-’90s he would take his time to lecture young musicians on professionalism & the arts industry know-how.

AMAKHOSI THEATRE:
Established in 1981 by Playwright Cont Mhlanga, this is the most popular arts center in Bulawayo.

Occasionally I work as a talent show judge on many national competitions, when it comes to staging work & stage presence I always look forward to watching Bulawayo artists. The majority of them would have passed through Amakhosi Theatre.

Amakhosi is more known for theatre, but theatre also involves music & dance, as a result, a lot of musicians also passed through its mentorship program, artists such as Edith Weutonga & many others.

SERESTINO:

He started off as Rhythm guitarist for the band Seaside Band and then bought live band equipment that he used to hire out to bands that had no rehearsal equipment. So a lot of musicians would travel to DZ to do rehearsals at his house. Me & my Mufakose based band, The Sarungano Chanters had our first rehearsals on electric instruments at this man’s house. He would also take time to lecture musicians concerning the music industry. As a result, he mentored a lot of artists.

AMBUJI:
He is a bass player from Mufakose. But he is also well versed in music theory. So he mentored a number of musicians in Mufakose. He was my first music theory teacher in 1989.

JOMO:
Jomo is one man known for mentoring quite a number of the current top sound engineers in Zimbabwe. One of his products is top sound engineer Vusa Moyo, who was Oliver Mtukudzi’s personal sound engineer for some time.

IYASA:
This is another Bulawayo institution that gave Zimbabwe a lot of art. The Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts,( IYASA), was established in 2001 by Nkululeko Innocent Dube. A good number of influential artists passed through its hands, most notably artists like Sandra Ndebele,& also a group simply known as Iyasa

JACKSON PHIRI:
In the small town of Norton lives a man who was once a big name to reckon with. He was once a renowned Soul music singer who commanded a huge following. His name is Jackson Phiri of the Limpopo Jazz Band fame. After the demise of his band, he also mentored quite a number of artists who were based in Norton including the powerful melodic guitarist Leo Musena, who once played for Victor Kunonga. I too received some mentorship from him when we played in the same band, The Chax Brothers, in 1989.

IMBONGI:
This is an institution founded by Zimbabwe’s most popular poet Albert Nyathi. The organization ran a mentorship program that offered music lessons as well as theatre. Some of the products of Imbongi include popular music producer Lazzie T, who was taught keyboards at the institution.

MUSIC CROSSROADS ZIMBABWE:
This is also another very effective mentorship institution in Harare. It is the same institution that gave us such names as Mokoomba Band, African Destiny & many others. The institution had a number of mentors that included
Lwazi Tshabangu, is a Harare-based artist who began his career in Bulawayo. He is one skilled mentor & trainer with a great track record. His combination with Isaac Chirwa has always produced results.