I was never a soapie fan, so never got into “Backstage” or “Generations.”
But being a media practitioner means I was always aware of who’s who in the zoo.
Admittedly, I initially had high hopes for “Backstage” when Lorcia Cooper was one of the big stars and the production was based in Cape Town.
When it started, I was under the impression that we were in for something like the 80s TV show “Fame” which was jam-packed with great performances on a weekly basis.
I stopped watching for a while, until I saw the character of Duke.
I liked that he played the villain in such a deliciously wicked way and I enjoyed him for a little while. But I became bored quickly with the convoluted and drawn-out storylines.
Anyway, I was reminded of those days again last week when I heard about the sad circumstances that the actor who played Duke finds himself in.
Carlo Radebe fell on hard times during the Covid lockdowns and never quite recovered.
He now finds himself surviving on hand-outs, to compliment his paltry government grant of R350 a month.
It reminded me again of how terribly we treat the custodians of our arts.
This was highlighted yet again when our Afro-soul songbird Zahara died in December, a year after she opened up about her own financial woes.
She had to crowd-fund amongst her fans when she got to the verge of having her house and car repossessed.
There are far too many stories of desperate fund-raisers being staged for artists in dire straits; or of actors and musicians dying in poverty, after years of apparent success.
Why does this keep on happening?
It is of course a cautionary tale for up-and-coming young artists to make sure they are at least partially financially literate and have some business savvy.
The global entertainment business is a cut-throat industry designed to exploit and profiteer off young talent. But we also need some sort of protection for our talented artists.
These are people with raw vocational gifts that they bless us with, and the admin of managing their own financial affairs is something they are unable to master.
Some would argue that they shouldn’t have to either.
Whichever way you lean, the fact is, we see Carlo’s story repeated often in different ways, and it’s unlikely to stop.
So let’s help him recover and educate others to avoid the same pitfalls.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za