A fight has erupted between popular Bulawayo dance group, Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) and a newly-formed project based in Gwanda, Isiphiwo Sami School of Arts (Isasa) over the latter’s name, design and logo.
BY SHARON SIBINDI
The fight started when the founder of Iyasa, Nkululeko Dube saw posters of Isasa which had a logo, pictures and design similar to Iyasa’s circulating on social media.
Iyasa for the past seven years has been running a project called Isiphiwo Sami Talent Search, which is funded by Culture Fund and the programme engages schools in Matabeleland.
Dube then posted on Facebook, saying Iyasa were not part of Isasa as it had brought confusion.
The Facebook post read: “One of our brands that we have grown and are proud of is the Isiphiwo Sami Talent Search.
We have seen it grow from just a few schools to what it is now, almost national. It has been brought to our attention that there is another organisation going by the name Isiphiwo Sami School of Arts (Isasa). “Though it does not sound like Iyasa and carries the name of our projects, we have no link or association with the said organisation. The pictures used in their images are images of our students from Eveline High School.”
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In an interview, Dube said Isasa had copied their designs and nothing was original in their design.
“This person has used a logo like ours, their advert of Eveline High School, the drums and children playing,” he said. “We as Iyasa, distance ourselves from that and the public must not be confused.”
The Iyasa frontman said his group, however, was not moved with what was happening, saying the public should be informed that Iyasa was not part of Isasa.
“Let us inspire each other and be original,” he said.
Isasa founder, Adrian Musa said Iyasa and Isasa were different projects in different towns, with one in Gwanda and the other in Bulawayo.
“Isasa and Iyasa are two different organisations,” Musa said.
Musa, a former director of the now defunct Flame of Jahunda Arts, said his project only focused in Matabeleland South and schools in rural areas.
“This project was founded in 2011 and last year that’s when we gave it the name Isasa,” he said. “The designer did everything for us from the logo, pictures and business cards. Dube then told me that the logo and everything in our designs were similar to Iyasa. I had to re-do the designs as the designer said he just picked pictures from the internet. I did not know that it was going to be a problem.”
Musa said he was not copying anything from Iyasa and that Isasa was his own project.
“These projects are two different things, the designer just used similar pictures. My project is in Gwanda and his [Dube] is in Bulawayo,” he said.
“We as Isasa are doing our own things and we will soon grow too. We have been working hard, although we have no funding.”
