Zimbabwe’s leading financial institution, the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) Holdings, has hinted on plans to enhance its support for the creative industry.
By Dickson Bandera
Speaking during a Media Cocktail at CBZ’s headquarters in Pomona, Borrowdale, CBZ Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lawrence Nyazema, emphasized the need for greater engagement with Zimbabwean artistes, touching on diversity in arts and financial inclusion.
“I think as a market and as a business community, we need to do more. For example, in a lot of our functions, we have been promoting artists, probably overweight in terms of music.
“We need to be more imaginative to say what’s the world picture of arts and how can we involve everybody else,” said Nyazema.
The CEO noted that CBZ’s calendar of events, which features ten annual functions, will in future reflect diversity and inclusivity.
“We just need to diversify the arts that we showcase. It may probably be good for us to have an event that we just use, say, two days to focus on all forms of art,” he suggested.
This broader vision seeks to support painters, sculptors, dancers, poets, comedians, filmmakers, and other creatives who contribute to Zimbabwe’s cultural identity.
Nyazema also addressed the importance of financial inclusion, expressing the bank’s commitment to assisting artistes in managing their finances through the Financial Inclusion Policy.
“In my remarks, I challenged and appealed to the media to cooperate with us as we roll out financial inclusion solutions. It’s a key focus area for us.”
“When you look at sportsmen, when you look at artists, you see a lot of yesteryear success stories that would have gone bankrupt.
“And mind you, even bankers—you would be surprised to actually find CEOs of major financial institutions who are not as well-to-do as they were during their heydays.
“For me, the question is how do we create a decent life for our artists, a decent life for our sportsmen, a decent life for our citizens? How do we ensure that by the end of your career, you have enough to sustain you?” remarked the senior banker.
Nyazema highlighted the brevity of careers in sports and arts, underlining the need for preparation for life beyond peak performance years.
“When I look at sports or arts, for the majority, it’s a short stint when you are at the top of your game,” he said.
“For sportsmen, they are in prime probably between 20 and 30; after that, you are going down, unless you become a coach. But even when you become a coach, you can easily get fired.
“For an artist, whether you are a musician, it’s a short stint. So during that short stint, how do we ensure that you put a roof over your head, how do we ensure that you put some savings, how do we ensure that you put a small business that will sustain you long after you have retired?
The senior banker believes artistes also need to retire and enjoy their works while in retirement.
“I actually think artists deserve to retire. I have seen some artists who have had to work until the last day.
“It needs not be like that. It should be a career like any other career. So I agree with you on the need to improve financial literacy,” he said.
Nyazema stressed the importance of normalizing the lives of artistes and sportspeople.
“But more importantly, I think we need to normalize the lives of artists and sportsmen. And it’s something that we need to consider in our various interventions,” he noted.
“So if we are doing the housing schemea, how do we ensure that interests of artistes are incorporated?”
In a call to stakeholders, Nyazema urged the integration of arts into the upcoming 100th anniversary celebrations of Highlanders Football Club in 2026.
“So they will be celebrating a hundred years, and I don’t think yourselves and ourselves and everybody else should miss that opportunity.
“I look at Bulawayo as a major centre of arts and culture, so it’s one of those events where we will be able to combine sports and art at once.
“We need to ponder to say how do we create a better reality and a better life for our sportsmen and for our artists, and how do we come up with sustainable solutions,” added Nyazema.
CBZ initiatives aim to not only uplift today’s artists and creatives but also preserve a vibrant cultural legacy for future generations.
Share this post and plug your people!
