Just to respond to the article I read in ghafla in comparing the Kenyan Media Industry and Nigeria Industry... We arent at the same level! There are a lot of facts abd figures that greatly differ in terms of structures and infrastructure. Ill go step by step so that I dont loose any reader here: You havent indicated a stand by the Nigerian government (from lobbying by associations both film and music ) implementing over 60% media airtime to local productions and local continent (this has moved to 80/85% due to public demand) and this has helped their industry. Their djs also vowed to give a black out to international music to allow their own to prosper and 10/15 yeasr down the line the impact has allowed them to grow past their borders. Their actors musicians djs radio and tv personalities are celebrities and living wealthy because of the changes they made. Here in Kenya we are lucky even to get 10% airtime on our local music or Movies and tv shows, dominated by Mexican soaps on air, Nigerian movies back to back on our free to air stations (that reach the mases, notice you have choice on pay TV How many can afford Zulu Dstv or the other service providers availed? All can afford free to air) Our local acts can barely earn a living. I believe whatever you feed a child they grow to like it and feed off it, we have made ours like Mexican soaps more than a local drama like lies that bind for example. We love Kwaito and Naigerian music mostly coz its in Mases in our radio and tv shows. Out music is not that far behind in terms of creativity, we lack mass markets. The only genre that is begginibg to thrive is Vernacular Music and tv content. They get 90% play in their respective stations and the impact is slowly growing. We need to borrow that leave and see how we can tap into that into the mainstream. My good friend Tim rimbui wrote once in a discussion, he was in some parts of central Kenya and teenagers and younger kids could t name one local artist apart from jaguar, hi could name over 10 vernacular singers in their region. Take note. Our tv stations will have Afrosinema but cant have a marathon of local content. They will air Mexican phillipino and Latin based media in exchanging time frames Monday to Friday without fail, and air one or two local shows to counter. How do you win with such math? Our radio stations follow suit all day by having a Nigerian Radio programme daily but can barely play local music weekly. Tv shows apart from a few, Mseto on citizen tv, Mahewa on Qtv, will struggle to play more than 2/3 local songs in a day. Its only in Kenya you go to a club and you will barely hear a Kenyan song play, go to Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, DRC, even in Somailia, they arent bumping to other peoples music more than theirs! You will be suprised that they dont even bump to Kwaito and Nigerian music. They believe their music is good because it has been cultured in them to think so and it works for them. Actors struggle to survive in Kenya because they have to fight for the 5-10% local airtime the local programming might get to distribute amongst them. They have to double up and look for other alternative sources of revenue. What if they were full actors? Kenyans were quick to praise Lupita after Hollywood saw something in her, but when she did Shuga, nobody raised a finger or pushed a #Hasgtag #KOT ate quick to cyber bully, rarely do they promote awareness and bring some issues to task. A weave can trend more than an economic issue. Sm*effin***h Theres is new talent in the arts everyday but we shall never get to hear or see them, because Man Must Live, rule dictates the bigger artists fight for whatever little airtime there is and thus a lot will have to change before this is realised. Solutions do exist: Put the government to task to help create employment. Do you know how much employment will be creates should they decide to pass a bill that allows 60% or more, of local content to grace our tv, radio and any other form of media? Tv production alone will allow for more script writes, actors, producers, directors, art departments, ser designers, make up artists, extras, cameramen, editors, lights and grips,... The list Is endless. Music will grow 10 folds. All these new talent that get shut down before they even leave the studio, all the music that we dont know of that will fill out hearts, make us dance, laugh, cry, sing, think... The list is endless. The media association of Kenya is quick to try shut these changes down and feed you cheaper alternatives to them thus making them more money and denying us the very succes we crave for. It would cost them 200% more if they had to play Local content. Instead they blind us with Kenayn Politics Monday to Monday to keep us talking and fill in the rest of the hours they have on tv with Re-Runs that they buy for cheap. Style up, digital tv is coming soon, we shall have choice, please be in the right corner when the time comes, coz as it stands, the next generation will not choose you. They get 24 just 24 minutes after it airs in the states, even Jack Bauer cant stop that the corporates and independent investors have to come in. Rome was bot build in a day. The reason Wis kid can afford to shoot a video for 40-70K USds is coz Mtn, for example, will see value in him to step up and pay for the video. With Timex he wount need them, he could decide to do it all on his own and take 100% profits. As much as you talk about the standards going up, do you know Channel O play majority south African music (even with the influx of Nigerian Music) And can you count the number if south African music videos played on Nigerian station Sound city (Sit down one day, you shall be suprised to even reach 10 videos) These two countries control the market and such they will dominate Mamas and channel o awards for years to come. We play Konshens Monday to Friday abd then my boys Sauti soul chuck such a nice video only for CCK to come out guns blazing with some bureaucratic explanation on why they burned the video, yet as I stated earlier, Kinshens plays from 4pm to 6pm (GE General Exhibition Tv Time) The industry has improved a lot, can you compare Vioja mahakamani with productions that exist today? Can you compare Music as it begun in the late 90s to now. I think our Kenyan music has grown and if fed to the children, it will take off. When Gidigidi Kaminski the likes of E sir Necessary Noise K shaka K south etc broke out, Kiss Nation Capital all spearheaded local music. We cant sit and compare ourselves with Nigeria and South Africa yet they have had 30-40 years of politics and lobbying before they came together and put their feet down. Our industry is barely a teenager, lets help it grow and belive you me, 10years from now we shall be talking a whole different ball game. Havent typed this much since College, my urge to sleep gas caught up. My parting words, simple: Tunaomba serikali Level the playing field! What if we begun the charity at home, what if? Tafakari hayo. Do excuse the typos 😊 Yours trully Kenzo matata
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 03:49:09 +0000
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