Zen The Master and Zoah brought together by Simba Arts collaborate on a new docu-series, make fast friends and make plans to take on the industry.
Zen The Master, who is a Writer, Director and Filmmaker with an interesting resume featuring feats like the former Junior Mayor, Tedx EMU speaker and an honours degree in Mechatronics Engineering has set of on the journey to not only redefine the art industry in Zimbabwe but to showcase different artists and art forms through film.
One of those artists is Zoah. @ZoahMusicLive is a Zimbabwean artist doing Afro-Folk Country Rock and we get a glimpse of this through the documentary: https://youtu.be/5vnsecB9XF4
Interviews by Amanda Tayte-Tait
So tell us about yourself and why country, rock and folk music?
Zoah: My name is Zoah and I’m a singer-songwriter.
Folk, Country and Rock were engrained in me growing up – from records in the house to music that I listened to in my formative years. Folk music always told good stories and is an essential guardian of a people’s history. An example can be one of my favourites is Chamutengure which talks about the entry of the White Settlers in Zimbabwe as well as the implications of that. Such a narrative is a time capsule and can enable a _”Born-Free” _ like myself to get a glimpse of what it felt like to be in that society.
Country music, outside of it contributing some of the songs I recall as the first music I heard, seems to be a staple in most Zimbabwean households perhaps due to the fact that we are indeed an agrarian people and thus it easily translates. I myself am a young farmer and I absolutely love the song _”I’m just a country boy”_ by Don Williams.
Rock or at least the rise of the Rock and Roll movement sent ripples all over the globe to the extent that even when our local scene started to formulate its own sound, most artists e.g. Thomas Mapfumo started out dabbling in it which is evident in their catalogues (songs like Moyo wangu, Big in America etc.). In addition, the true spirit of the movement was essentially to disrupt norms that weren’t exactly palatable to the majority yet we’re regarded as acceptable. Good example, we can’t talk about Civil Rights Movements without mentioning Rock and Roll. Even genres that at their core were social commentary like Reggae have roots in the movement which is why it gained such notoriety. It was merely Raw, Untamed Passion which is what I intend to explore with my art.
Zen, tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
Zen: Im a Filmmaker, particularly a writer and director.
I’m a big believer in exploring the realities and possibilities entrenched in the societies we live in through the screen. I love utilizing my gifts to get people to pay attention to pertinent issues, see things and people they would have never otherwise seen and reflect on themselves and the world they live in.
I got my start helping a friend out on his film school projects back when I was studying Mechatronic Engineering and found I had a deep seated passion for film. From there I set about consuming as much educational material about film and other artforms surrounding it as I could.
Even after I got my degree in engineering, I pursued filmmaking as my primary passion and I eventually got my first real start working on the set of #Nofilter as a set engineer.
I then started my own vlog series called the Zen Life and its much newer accompanying cinematic interview series, Zen Chills With, sharpening my filmmaking skills even further
I have also worked with Digital Spaces, #TheFeedzw and now with Simba Arts to create various documentaries whose subjects range from tackling socio-economic realities, to exhibitions of little known, but brilliant artists.
So how did this collaboration come about?
Zen: This was all domino’s falling on each other starting with an article enthuse did on me actually. The head of Simba arts saw the article and got in contact with me. Interestingly we are actually long lost and estranged cousins.
They got me on board to work on creating a Cinematic, short Documentary feature on Zoah, much like my work on Zen Chills with, and thats how I ended up meeting and working with Zoah.
Zoah: The collaboration with Zen_The_Master was at best an intervention of Fate and Higher Power. This is because it was never planned. One morning I was on my way to meet representatives from Simba Arts, and on my way I received a text from Tendai Fulukia saying that an artist of theirs was meant to be shooting a music video but it fell through. Feeling the need to make an omelette out of the broken egg, he asked if I’d be interested in doing a short documentary with the video crew and 3 hours later I was in the company of Zen and Amanda Tayte-Tait Marufu shooting this completely unscripted short film. It was awesome and we’ve been good friends since.
Alot of people often mention that working with Zimbabwean artists is hard. What has been your experience thus far in this regard?
Zen: Haha, as a Zimbabwean artist myself I’d love to disagree with that, but in some cases it can ring true. There tends to be a lack of respect for others’ artistic initiative and value and that under appreciation leads to misunderstandings, unnecessary posturing and this general unearned celebrity-diva behavior that gets none of us anywhere. I admit I have worked with, or tried to work with, artists that give me a hard time in that regard.
With Zoah though, none of that came up at all. He was courteous, respectful, understanding and flexible. We worked really well together and I’m sure on viewing the documentary online, you will find the product ultimately reflects a well formed collaboration across art forms. Basically we vibed really well and anyone that knows me, knows I place a really high value on people’s vibes.
What was the whole experience like?
Zoah: Uncanny is perhaps the best word to describe the experience in the sense that nothing felt _off_… Professionalism, Relaxation and Relatability are all words that can describe the nuances that were in the air. As I mentioned before, we’ve since become good friends and that’s perhaps a testament to the experience… Both Zen and Amanda oozed true artistry and that can be witnessed through the quality of the final product as well as the aftermath. True artists know how to tap into a frequency and vibrate accordingly to create harmony.
You mentioned working with artists through their vibes and message, what kind of vibe does Zoah give out for you and what do you believe is his message?
Zen: Zoah has one of the most amazing vibes of any artist I have ever met. He was cooperative, spoke eloquently and put his passion for his art across perfectly.
He gives out a vibe of artistic pursuit and perspective. He has seen and experienced enough for him to understand the work ahead of him and appreciate the work he has already done. He is super receptive and makes it a genuine goal to help the people he meets better their art and themselves.
He also tends to be deeply philosophical and reflective which makes for fantastic conversation, haha.
His message seems to be one of reflection. He wants us all to get to know ourselves better and he believes the virtues gained by looking within ourselves will aid in uniting us as a whole. He is a genuine credit to his industry and I look forward to working with him a lot more after this.
If you could pick something that working with Zen taught you what would you pick?
Zoah: Three takeaways from working with Zen on that particular project were: One; always be an open-minded optimist – sure the initial plan had fallen apart last minute yet he remained optimistic that the seeds would still bear some quality fruit and so he was willing to do this last minute thing and here we are talking about it.
Two; assemble the right team – Amanda Taite did an amazing job asking questions that brought the best out of me and thus we didn’t bother doing a lot of takes because it felt so natural. That says a lot about Zen as a team-builder.
Three; it’s never over – when he said _”That’s a wrap”_, it really wasn’t, that was the beginning of this amazing path we’ve embarked on. I don’t really know what the future holds but I can definitely say that Zen in reference to my life isn’t really going anywhere haha.
Zen, If you had to pick something that working with him has taught you, what would you pick?
Zen: I learned that we should be willing to try the road less travelled. Just try things, adventure, make attempts at reaching for things noone has reached for or you never thought to reach for. You might just stumble upon who you truly are on such adventures.
In your interview you mentioned holding up a mirror to society, what do you want society to see about itself?
Zoah: I’m currently working on my debut record with Simba Arts and Tenrocs Media called _”Man of Mountain”_. Not to be one for spoilers but I can say that it is a record that is long overdue for me – 13 years in the making and for that reason will have 13 tracks.
For a while, I always wanted to just be songwriter and let my music do the talking whilst I remained in the shadows. However, my love of performance and my addiction to it has made me rethink this. Of course, due to the sense of clandestinity in humans, there are parts of your life you always want to keep private but when all is said and done, as my debut record will also explore, *I’m a Songwriter* because I couldn’t be any other way even if I wanted to. *I’m a Storyteller* because my culture owes it’s very existence to storytellers that guarded and passed down our stories for generations. *I’m a Singer* because Music saved my life. *I’m a Farmer* because food is life and germination instills hope. And *I’m a Man of The Mountain* because God dwells in the Mountains and that’s where we meet. If society can remember me in that light, my legacy will be solidified.
Last question for both of you, If you only had five minutes to say one thing to the world what would you say?
Zen: Every single one of us leads unimaginably complex lives; so to witness certain people within our society being able to bare their inner selves on the canvas, on instruments and mics and on screen through art is to witness a modern miracle.
To further find ourselves able to relate through this art is a underappreciated privilege.
Artists are miracle machines that need your love, recognition and support so they can continue performing these miracles, moreso African artists from all artistic industries.
Our’s is a tough and vulnerable path and your support, even in the form of a simple thumbs up, is what keeps us all going. So lets keep the ball rolling and the machine churning and lets get our artists the recognition they deserve.
Zoah: There’s a lot to see; there’s a lot to do. There’s a lot to say; there’s a lot to be heard. There’s a hell of a lot to think about and contemplate – just not all at once. Forget the _How’s_, _What’s_ and _Why’s_ because just knowing the _When’s_ turns your life into the greatest work of Art.
Thank you for talking with us, we’ll be sure to stay tuned for more work.
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