Tapfumaneyi Vivian Banhire
On the 2nd January 2025 the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA) started 2025 with hosting local musicians and artistes at their offices within Harare Showgrounds. The event aimed to create awareness, share knowledge and promote free-range poultry farming with the arts industry.
ZFRPA Chairman, Dr. Aaron Shamu, emphasized the importance of diversifying income streams for musicians to achieve a sustainable livelihood. “We want to empower musicians to explore alternative revenue streams, and free-range poultry farming offers a lucrative opportunity,” Dr. Shamu said.
The event brought together renowned musicians, including Baba Manyeruke, Nicholas Zacharia, Chisale, Amanda Sagonda, Minister Ellard and Sharon Cherayi, Nutty O, Minister Micheal Mahendere, Pastor Haisa, Alick Macheso and Tembalami, among others.During the event, the musicians were taken on a tour of the ZFRPA stand, where they learned about different free-range poultry breeds and received basic training on sustainable free-range bird management. The free range poultry benefits and viability was also discussed with the artists.
In a gesture of support, each musician and artist present received 100 day old roadrunner chicks as start-up seed to launch their own free-range poultry enterprises.
The artists expressed gratitude to ZFRPA for introducing them to a new income-generating opportunity. “We are thankful for this initiative, which has opened our eyes to a new project that can earn us money,” said one of the musician.The event marked a significant milestone in ZFRPA’s efforts to promote free-range poultry farming through empowerment of local artists . The same program will be held in other provinces.
Baba Manyeruke thanked ZFRPA for the initiative and urged fellow artists to prepare for life beyond music. “As musicians, we must plan for our future and create diverse revenue streams that will sustain us even when we retire from music,” Baba Manyeruke said. “We must remember that as we age, our bodies may not be able to keep up with the demands of performing. It’s essential that we diversify our income streams and invest in sustainable enterprises that will provide for us in our old age,” he added.