Five years of Essential Sundays—Local Talent, Global Perspective

KINGSTONE ZIMUNYA

AMERICAN culture has reverberated across the world, thanks to globalisation. In Zimbabwe, it can be argued that the influence of American pop culture contributed to the rise of urban contemporary music. The genre (and its many sub-genres) has evolved into a distinct sound that many feel can compete on a global stage in the near future. 

Thankfully so, one woman with that global perspective has spent the past five years laying the foundation for that future.  

Tara Jetter—leading lady at 3rd World Entertainment 

Born and raised in America, Tara Jetter found herself in Zimbabwe during the Covid lockdown of 2020. With a background in the entertainment industry, the best she could do to pass time was regular jam sessions at her home with close friends. Little did she know she was planting the seeds for an event that has impacted countless artists’ careers in five years, over 20 editions later. 

Hosted on the last Sunday of the month, Essential Sundays started out as a virtual jam session live streamed from Tara’s home in 2020. This August marks five years since the first edition, a pivotal moment for 3rd World Entertainment; the company behind the event. 

We caught up with the leading lady herself, Tara Jetter, ahead of 31 August—Essential Sundays 5th Anniversary Edition at The Little Farm. Below is the excerpt of an insightful conversation where we discussed the beginning, the journey and the future of Essential Sundays (ES). Enjoy!

Hey Tara. Can you take us back to your roots, and how you ended up starting 3rd World Entertainment?

I was raised in a family that worked in entertainment. We owned a bar called the Jet Lounge in Clinton, Iowa in the 70s and 80s. The town had a predominantly white population, so we became popular among the black population. We put on a lot of events that centered around the community, and this was the basis of my upbringing.  

I myself got into entertainment around 2007 in Long Beach, California. I was part of an enterprise called Camouflage Entertainment, which basically taught me how to curate and promote events. From there, I started curating my own themed events in California. This was between 2008-2010. 

I moved to Dallas, TX in 2012, which is when I created 3rd World Entertainment. Originally, we were doing big shows that brought AfroCarribean artists to the States. 

When I came to Zimbabwe, I decided that instead of my focus being the mainstream artists, let me help platform the underground artists. I realized there’s so much talent here in Zimbabwe that the world needs to hear. 

This August marks 5 years of you hosting Essential Sundays. Take us back to the beginning—how did you guys start ES, who was involved? 

I came to Zimbabwe at the beginning of 2020, and that’s when Covid started. Initially I didn’t know anyone, I had just come to reunite with my family, my ex-husband is Zimbabwean. 

With the team behind Shebeen Fest—Dough Major, Dilly1Buck, and Dingo Duke. 

By chance, I managed to have an outing with this expat couple, the wife was from Australia and the husband was from New York. We started off with a play date for the kids during the day and as in the evening we ended up going for an underground house party. 

That’s when I met SaxoPash. I credit him for introducing me to the Zim music industry. After much discussion, we decided to start Essential Sundays. Originally, the show started off as a livestream due to restrictions on gatherings at the time.Different artists would come to my house and we would livestream the performances to fans. 

Once the lockdown let up, we decided to look for a venue and host our first ever live show. The first edition was more of a pleasant coincidence. We were supposed to livestream from my house that day, but then one of the performers, Swaygo The Shaman, got double-booked. He was set to perform at an event called The Sesh Online Festival, organized by DJ Mimi and Tulkmunny. 

We then decided to go to the venue where he was performing and livestream ES from there. At that event is where Venge Raas came up with the name 'Essential Sundays.' 

At The Sesh, the birth of Essential Sundays (circa, 2020) 

That day is when I met Chengeto Brown, Tulkmunny, Madeherbelieve, DJ ACE FRVR, Thando Mlambo, to name a few. 

The main artists that were there for the beginning include MC Chita, SaxoPash, Venge Raas, Tyler King, Truth Chokwadi. 

Why did you feel the need to start ES?

To be honest, it wasn’t even in my plans to become involved in the Zim music industry. When I came to Zimbabwe, all I knew was Winky D and Jah Prayzah (laughs). 

Once I started opening my home to artists, I saw that there was a need for a show like ES. 

Me being American, I felt like I may have some resources or connections back in the States to help the artists get to where they wanna get to, giving them a platform to express themselves.  

Can you please break down why the names on the 31 August lineup matter in the ES story?

This Sunday is more of reunion than anything. Most of the artists we started out with during the Covid days, we spent most of our time together. 

For the 5th year anniversary, I felt it was necessary to bring everyone that helped lay the ground work. Everyone you see on the lineup made Essential Sundays what it is today. 

Essential Sundays over the years.

There’s also some new age artists on the lineup too, who have impacted the growth of ES over the past year or so. 

Boi Mac and Zimboy hosting this edition is also very strategic, considering that they have been a big part of ES over the years. 

What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of building an entertainment enterprise in Zimbabwe? 

The most challenging aspect has to be the financial aspect. I have been self-funding this event since the beginning. I have tried to reach out to corporates to partner up with, but they have not been forthcoming. I don’t know if it’s because this event is more focused on the underground, maybe they haven’t seen the value in it yet. 

At Changamire Awards. Alongside Jackson da Zimboy, Tehn Diamond, and Take Fizzo. 

Also, consistency in artists. There’s people that are talented but they lack the ambition it takes to get them where they want to be. I've wasted a lot of time trying to motivate opportunistic artists that can’t find the motivation within themselves. 

What is your best memory of Essential Sundays? 

Oh my God, there’s so many of them (laughs)! 

The one that sticks to memory is the December 2020 edition, held at The Little Farm. The lineup included Ishan, Prayersoul, Mangoma The Drummer, Ulenni okaNdlovu, to mention a few. This edition pulled the largest crowd thus far, everything was organised and the crowd interaction was beautiful to see. 

A close second is an edition where Venge Raas was the headliner, held at Moto Republik. It was one of the most successful, electrifying ES editions I’ve seen come to fruition. It was great to see the fans show love to Venge, in the flesh. 

When I went back to the States between 2023 and 2024, witnessing a new wave of artists take over the ES stage was impactful and motivating. I spent almost three years pushing the same cohort of artists and seeing a new talent coming in made me realize just how necessary ES was in the space. It just had to keep going, even though I wasn’t on the ground at the time. 

What does the future hold for Essential Sundays, how are you going to be curating the event going forward? What is your ultimate vision with 3rd World Entertainment?

I’ll continue to keep my eye open for passionate emerging artists that are looking for the opportunity to perform. Every artist on the lineup will leave with quality media from their performance, a goodies bag that has some artist essentials, and collaborative social media posts that will help expand their online reach. I also have a long term vision, to release three collaborative EP’s a year for all artists who feature at ES. 

3rd World is for the kids—At a community event.

As for 3rd World Entertainment, I want to continue to expand in the creative space. We want to launch a variety of events that cater to different crowd, not just the hip hop crowd. The creative space is very small and niche, there needs to be something that crosses over into these crowds. 

Ultimately, I see 3rd World Entertainment as an international entertainment company with an imprint across Africa, the Americas, Europe, wherever else the music will go. 

[End of excerpt]

Essential Sundays 5th Anniversary Edition—Perfect blend of Old and New

Five years, countless artists impacted, two countries, and one woman’s vision—Essential Sundays remains an essential fixture on the Zimbabwean entertainment calendar. 

To celebrate the longevity, Tara has tapped the artists who were there for the beginning; as well as a new wave that has kept the fire burning. All of the artists on the lineup have featured on the ES stage at least once, making it a special reunion. 

Jackson da Zimboy and Boi Mac will be there to keep the energy going, while Madeherbelieve and Aytee are in charge of the music policy on the night. 

The veterans on the lineup include MC Chita, Karizma, Swaygo the Shaman and Venge Raas; who will also be shooting the official music video for his song Pari on the day.

 

Also on the lineup are artists who have grown with ES over the years—Truth Chokwadi, Therslicks, Reap3r, Griffin Makwiramiti, Mile, Mr Rebel, Liquid and Don’t Worry.  

Songstresses African Wine, Ms Afrikka and SAIIREN will also be there to serenade the crowd.

At half a decade, Essential Sundays is just getting started. Having survived the foundational phase, 3rd World Entertainment continues with its ultimate vision—taking Zim music to the world!

What the Artists Said

Reap3r

When did you first perform at Essential Sundays, and how did you come about the opportunity?

“It was the November 2020 edition. I came across a callout for artists and decided to reached out because at the time, there were not that many events happening. The event was quite well-organised, Tara had organised transport collecting artists who came to do their thing at the first Essential Sundays event.

“The second time I performed was in 2021, Tara hit me up personally and to appreciate her support of my craft, I pulled through and did a set.”

Mile 

How has your experience at Essential Sundays influenced your artistic style or direction?

“Like any show, Essential Sundays really help me hone in on and sharpen my craft as a performer. What makes Essential Sundays as special as it has been to me is the opportunity to learn from an eclectic list of musicians. Their own approach imprinted on my understanding of what kind of songs work on stage and appeals to our audience uniquely.”

Griffin Makwiramiti

Take us back to your first ever Essential Sundays performance, and tell us what performing on the ES stage over the years means to you?

“I wasn’t officially on the lineup, but I found myself at the event and managed to get an audience with Tara. I did a quick freestyle for her, she liked it; and that’s how I ended up having my first Essential Sundays performance! It was so endearing that I wasn’t even scheduled to perform, but speaking to Tara and her being someone who is deeply invested in art, she decided to give me a platform to shine. 

“Some of my favourite performances over the last year have been at Essential Sundays. Just being given space to showcase your craft and rub shoulders with some really talented artists, it’s really special. It’s showed me more of what its supposed to be, the right kind of way to build your artistic career. This platform is good for anyone’s career.”