Multichoice Zimbabwe, Supersport set tone for Afcon
By Zaza Ndlovu
Healthy rivalry has always been a source for great entertainment.
And one would think was all about the match between Algeria and Zimbabwe but in a surprisingly pleasant twist; it was the rivalry between Arts Journalists Association of Zimbabwe (AJAZ) members and the Sports Journalists from various news publications that took center stage at O’Hagans Sunday.
The event being Zimbabwe’s opening game at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations game hosted by Supersport, proved the power of football as a great unifier.
Multichoice Zimbabwe and Supersport teams went all out to transform O’Hagans into a world class football match viewing venue with giant LED screens, free flowing platters and beverages had guests feeling like they had arrived as VIPs.
Entertainment from High Definition and Antigravity dance groups came with well-choreographed routines that matched the theme leaving guests enthralled.
But it was the Afcon Football Quiz that took the limelight with sports scribes seemingly calm and collected in the initial stages getting a rude awakening from Ajaz members who took the top three posts of the eight participating groups.
An elated group of arts journos calling themselves #thiswarrior made up of popular female radio DJs and journalists Chamvary, Lady of Distinction Rumbi Moyo, Zazalicous, Lady K, Wadzanai (Ba Shupi’s wife) Sharon Muguwu, Tsitsi Ndabambi and Ms H in partnership with Nico Abote proved that
it’s all beauty and brains with the added sparkle of fun to add colour and pizazz to this event.
Add in great music, there was no shortage of entertainment as the arts journalists took over the event.
What would normally have been a football technical analogy of the game turned into a social and lifestyle commentary; from the bleaching streaks on some of the players like Khama Billiart, to the good looks and grooming of Matthew Rusike and goalie Tatenda Mukurura.
Questions like why it is difficult to get replica Zimbabwe national team jerseys flew from every corner through-out the game but it was the stellar performance that united what was initially a rivalry.
For instance the way the crowd celebrated Mtandazo Dube, editor of the Sunday Mail Leisure as if he was one of the players on the pitch screaming “Elder vauya” (Mudhara vachauya).
Liz Dziva, Public Relations Manager of Multichoice Zimbabwe expressed how this social experiment of combining arts and sports journalists would bring the necessary hype and garner more social media updates of the game and Multichoice Zimbabwe’s various platforms on Dstv.
Supersport Marketing Manager Marlon Kananda was thrilled at seeing a full house and happy that Supersport is considered a leading platform in providing quality and current sports to everyone.
