0
0
Your stage can be anything; a soccer field, a blog, a published book, etc. It is a platform where you can share your talents with others.
Nono Nyathi
When I was growing up, I found myself on some stage more than enough times. From being a seven year old reciting a poem at an Allied Arts competition to an eight year old being selected to move to the next round of the Young Stars dance competition. I don’t remember how I felt but the fact that I didn’t stop there, means I enjoyed it.
After the Young Stars dance competition, I joined the drum majorettes (“drummies”) team. I seemed to love performing arts because I even made it to the school choir when I was ten years old. I remember singing the H.I.V and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo song pieces. We had to learn the ‘do re mi…’ notes first before the words. It was quite an experience. I also tried out for the gymnastics team but I guess the seniors intimidated me so I stuck to drummies.
Drummies was my thing, I loved it and it made me happy. Our coach gave me video tapes to watch on the VCR so I could learn new styles and formations. Eventually, I made it to wearing the gold uniform, the leader’s uniform. We then introduced flags and then I became the flag bearer leader. The flags were more work because as a leader, I had to use two flags and be more creative. I enjoyed all the trips to the Agricultural Shows, Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, and other national events that we attended. What a blast from the past.
At 13 years old, my love for dance was reignited. I played around with different groups until the age of 15 years, when I found the perfect match: GUICE!
GUICE reminds me a lot of effective teamwork. Our group had 4 individuals with different strengths and we capitalised on that. You see, team work makes the dream work! We won all dance competitions during our lifetime as GUICE. That’s where I learnt the art of fusion. We were predominantly a dancehall/hip-hop group but we started adding other dance styles like kwaito to our intros and outros. Our group creativity and hard work contributed to our success.
I did a lot more of dancing in my 20s at Campus Harvest (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa), Reps Theatre (Harare, Zimbabwe) and Jabula Conference (Harare, Zimbabwe). I was also in a choir in my late 20s and around the same time, I started speaking engagements and hosting events.
I’m grateful to the University of Zimbabwe for inviting me as a Guest Lecturer to present on Tax for Entrepreneurs to MBA candidates, as well as the Zimbabwe Institute of Tax Accountants (“ZITA”) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants (“ICAZ”) for giving me an opportunity to lecture the Corporate Income Tax modules. I have to mention the ’employer of choice’, EY, for providing platforms where we can speak on tax issues to businesses. Thank you to institutions like Golden Key International Honour Society – Southern Africa, Zipporah, Be Bold Africa, Junior Achievement Chicago through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and many others, for offering an opportunity to speak on business, personal and leadership development topics, something that is close to my heart.
I have experienced the stage in different capacities, and over the years the art I share continues to evolve. My current focus is speaking engagements. I want to give keynote addresses, I want to give guest lectures, I want to inspire people, I want to tell my story.
Remember my name!
