MUSIC

ANDERSON & AFTER5RADIO

By

Rhoda Molife rhoda@houseofmutapa.com After5Radio is an online platform for Zimbabwean artists based in the diaspora that celebrates their music and talents with other Zimbabweans all over the world. Founded by Anderson Nyamande in 2017, the mission is to create a network of artists, listeners, sponsors and advertisers with global influence and who are invested in Zimbabwe. As a lifestyle, talk and music station, After5Radio focuses on authenticity, creativity and relationships. Anderson was born and bred in Mutare in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. He has a BSc in Business Computing and Information Systems from the University of Central Lancashire and an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Management from Brentwood Open Learning College, both in the UK. Anderson has 16 years’ experience in the IT industry and is married with two children. Share a little about you Anderson.

I was born and bred in Mutare and am the fifth of six children. My father lives in Mutare but my mother passed away in 2010.

As a child, your favourite past time was…

… Going back and forth kumusha during the holidays and eating all those delicacies like runi, munyevhe, muboora and mbambaira. I miss those things and wish I could get them now to share with my own family.

Growing up you were…

… Energetic, playful, sometimes too playful and naughty but not that naughty (laughs)!

What was your first job?

I was a computer technician back in 2004 in Mutare. I learnt how to fix and maintain computers at Mutare Poly. That was 16 years ago… years ago!

What do you do now?

I’m now an IT systems engineer. I’ve remained in the IT world since my first job and have grown in the industry ever since.

How would your family describe you?

I think they’d say I’m sociable, outgoing and patient. Yeah, they would say patient, patient, patient.

“…The radio stations would either play the track once or not at all. After that happened a few times, I realised something was wrong” What’s the inspiration/motivation behind After5 Radio? What was the ‘aha’ moment you knew you had to do this?

Back in 2016, my friend Peter Thulani Mutsemi, an IT specialist by day and part time musician and music producer based in Texas, used to send me his music to pass on to local stations for some airplay. But the stations would either play the track once or not at all. After that happened a few times, I realised something was wrong. That was the ‘aha’ moment. Having a strong IT background, I decided to research how radio stations were run. Of course, I thought of starting a terrestrial station but then I realised I could do it much easier online. I searched and searched and researched how to do it and looked for other musicians and found plenty! I’d figured if Thulani was having this issue, so would others and for me this was a problem that I could do something about.

When was the station founded and where is it based?

In 2017 and it’s all online. I run it from Zimbabwe.

Had you done any radio work before?

The simple answer is no! But a certain passion drove and guided me to this point.

What’s the radio station about?

Well, we’re about promoting Zimbabwean artists in the diaspora and at home. Wherever they are, we need to make them known globally and locally. People need to know about Tinashe, Sha Sha, Peter Thulani. Some may not be born in Zimbabwe, but they identify with Zimbabwe and they fly our flag high. We also have talk shows that feature lifestyle and entertainment stories.

A highlight of the journey so far on radio has been…

… The whole journey has been great so far. Partnering with Tafadzwa Mukoyi has been a highlight. Since September 2017, we were on auto play until we decided to go live this year. For that, we did a global search for presenters and got some great ones. Recently, we partnered with The Ryan Show FM, a nationally syndicated radio show that is played on 200 stations in the US. It’s hosted by Ryan Verneuille and co-hosted by Mr Cheeks, a Grammy award-winning rapper and New York socialite Hampton Dave. The show plays on our station and we support each other with publicity. Launching as a live station on 7 September 2020 was a real highlight.

“When you select a team, the aim is to get people who are better than you are because you have limitations. It helps you learn, grow and get to your goal faster.” How did you select the presenters and shows you have now?

Let me first say this. When you select a team, the aim is to get people who are better than you are because you have limitations. You must work with people who are experts at what they do. It helps you learn, grow and get to your goal faster. Tafadzwa and I put out an open audition globally for presenters on all our social media platforms, YouTube and even WhatsApp. The number of applications was shocking… over 100 for 12 spots. The competition was tight, but we eventually made the selection based on passion; the passion that came through on the interview and hearing how they may sound on their own show. And guess what, none had radio experience! They are learning with us. We gave them the opportunity to select as well as co-produce their own shows. From our point of view, they are a brand that we promote, and we encourage them to use our platform to make their brand

visible. So far, the reviews have been great. People tell us they love our diversity and how different we are. There’s no doubt we are diverse with presenters from the UK, Canada, Norway, Botswana and home that cover a range of topics and time zones.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced and how did you tackle it?

Social media and tackling how to handle it. It’s really something for millennials! But we worked it out and learnt how to really use it to our advantage especially through communicating on the platforms effectively. This is how you and I and House of Mutapa connected and here we are. We can really see how these platforms have raised the profile of our brand.

Why the focus on diasporean music when music in Zimbabwe is thriving?

Well, yes music in Zimbabwe is thriving but it’s limited to certain genres. It’s different from the ‘90s when there was so much diversity on radio. Today, music from the Zimbabwean diaspora is not appreciated back home. People ask us if there is enough diasporean music to warrant a station. The truth is that there is a large pool of talented musicians out there that reflect diversity and represent multiple genres. We actually have too much content! We’re getting emails every day with new submissions of music from established and new musicians… and it’s a lot and it’s great!

With all else that we have, why is radio still so appealing?

Well even though we have all the other music platforms, they just play music. People still like

the interaction you get on radio with a presenter who can introduce the artist, talk about what they are up to and share their stories with you. It’s like having a one-on-one with the presenter instead of just listening to tracks.

“It’s not an 8-to-5 day but a 24-hour thing” What’s a typical day like for you?

It starts with a morning jog. Then after a shower, I check the station’s schedule for the day and emails followed by time on social media. I also have to be on standby if a presenter has any technical problems. It’s definitely not an 8-to-5 day but a 24-hour thing! In between, I have daddy duties as my wife is away and I’m here in Zimbabwe with the children. Those duties actually spice up your day (laughs).

Who would be a dream guest to have on your station?

That would be Tinashe Kachingwe. She has set the bar so high, very high for Zimbabwean music but in a way that makes it look achievable. You can see the paper trail of how she got here and that’s in part due to hard work and family support. One thing about her is that she wants to be recognised as Zimbabwean and in some of her US interviews, she speaks and sings in Shona to express her culture. In some ways she’s communicating back home to say, ‘guys I’m part of you’. She’s really an inspiration.

Three top tips on how to run a station effectively are…

… Have passion for what you’re doing. Be committed and don’t be swayed. Be consistent because consistency leads to integrity which is phenomenal.

Radio stations are foolproof during a pandemic… true or false?

To a certain degree they are. Our presenters are global, and we all have to co-ordinate and have the same vision. I think this is what makes us foolproof, the fact that we have a common vision. Due to the pandemic, most people are working from home and probably listening to radio more than just watching TV. We actually started broadcasting live during the pandemic and we’re growing fast.

Last thing you do at night is…

… have a call with my wife, the queen, who is based in the US where she is pursuing her dream whilst I’m pursuing mine here. We catch up with each other’s day and pillow talk…yup!

What’s the vision? For you, for your family, for After5 Radio, for Zimbabwean music?

To achieve greatness for all those things.

“Be consistent because consistency leads to integrity which is phenomenal.” Listen to After5Radio here:

Android App - After5radio TuneIn - After5radio Amazon Alexa Skills - “Alexa, open after five radio” iLand Music App - https://ilandmusic.com/radio/47

Follow After5Radio here:

Website - https://www.after5radio.net/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCJ33trRFRlr1qUtETnFqwHA SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/after5-radio MixCloud - https://www.mixcloud.com/after5radio/ Instagram - after5radiozim Facebook - @after5radio Twitter - @after5radio LinkedIn - after5radio