By Kennedy Nyavaya
Talented youths from the ghetto wishing to try their luck at this year’s edition of the DreamStar Zimbabwe talent search show will no longer need to endure the hassles of looking for audition venues. The organisers are set to introduce inner city audition tour’s targeted at high-density residents.
The annual talent hunt show, organised by the China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Centre and its partners, came to life yesterday after opening auditions for Midlands State University students in the first leg of the Dreamstar University Tour.
Speaking to the Standard Style, the show spokesperson Tinashe Kitchen said plans were now in place to take the competition, arguably the country’s biggest currently, to many youth’s doorsteps this year.
“We are planning an inner city audition tour in addition to our usual university and city auditions. This will see us do some high-density suburb auditions as we have recognised that there is need to create new platforms for more talented young people to get a chance to be part of the show,” said Kitchen.
“So, we will be going to these communities and hopefully we will try to do about three or four of them this year.”
Over the years, the number of DreamStar participants has continued to soar and according to Kitchen this is testament to their expansion and impact across the country.
“Our greatest achievement is that we are still here. It has been six years and we are about to start another season. Regardless of the difficult economic situation, we have managed to survive and grow,” he said, adding that plans to cast their nets wider were already in place.
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“Our goal is to reach as many people as we can, but we also have to be realistic of what we are capable of doing. We do not want to do things just to do them, but we want to do them in a way that has a sustainable long-term impact on these communities.”
The brainchild of Chinese Federation of Zimbabwe (CFZ) and Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation (JCMC), the programme has seen many youngsters beginning their careers in the arts sector since its inception in 2014.
This year’s winners will pocket cash prizes and exchange trips to the Far East.
Meanwhile, participants from past editions have gone on to achieve great feats in the cut-throat showbiz sector.
“We are beginning to see returns on our investment into the Zimbabwean talent search pool so we are really excited about that,” said Kitchen, referring to recent achievements by artistes including Nyasha David, Union 5, Sean Mambwere and Martin Chabuka, among others.
