“We believe talent is all over”- Barney Mpariwa (Star Brite)

Zimbabwe’s leading talent search show, Star Brite scouted for potential participants of this year’s edition in Bulawayo. The auditions took place at the Rainbow hotel on Tuesday the 20^th of July to Wednesday the 21^st of July 2015.

Xmile

Star Brite which started in the early 1990s is Zimbabwe's oldest talent search show. It is a brain child of popular television and radio personality, Barney Mpariwa. In 1989 Mupariwa created this concept to offer opportunities for all talented Zimbabweans. He has been at the forefront of the show since it was launched in 1989 to date. The show's objective is to identify and promote performing arts and musical talent.

Having been run for over ten years now, the show had produced some of the country's best musicians such as Prudence Katomeni, Matthew Kaunda and Tendai Chidarikire. The show took a long break for nearly twenty years before coming back in 2012.

Bulawayo talent is yet to come out tops in the talent search show. To date, Xolani Ndhlovu popularly known in the music circles as X-MILE has been the closest. The talented musician finished third in 2012, and was awarded a recording contract, a laptop and an android phone. “We believe talent is all over, we are hoping we will get a winner from this side of the country, or from Midlands and other parts of the country because this show is not only about Harare”, said Mr. Mpariwa.

Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana

Star Brite has always partitioned the country into 4 regions. This season the auditions began in region 1 which includes, Marondera, Inyanga, Mutare and Masvingo. It then moved to region 2 which covers Chegutu, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru and Bulawayo. After the Bulawayo auditions the talent search show is set for Hwange and Victoria Falls. The auditions will move to region 3, which includes Norton, Chinhoyi and Bindura in the coming weeks. Star Brite will conclude the talent in Harare which is region 4.

The talent search show has introduced new elements, of going into prisons auditioning inmates. The project started last year, and there were 4 finalists from both Harare Central Prisons and Chikurubi Maximum Prison. This year prisons from Kadoma, Kwekwe, Hurungwe and Chinhoyi will be auditioned.

“Star Brite is not just limited to certain sector in our society but it is open to everyone who is talented. Last year, Danhiko which is a school of the disabled, had a finalist who was a great dancer. We are therefore expanding the platform to people who ordinarily could not be privileged to have that platform”, added Mr. Mpariwa.