The year 2011 had been a fairly difficult year for most artistes who faced various challenges and problems ranging from piracy, lack of funding and expensive equipment.

Although such and many other problems can be written down as having scuttled the potential for a robust growth in the arts industry, especially music, new artistes that have cropped up and the nature talent that they have shown in their music indicate a potential for a bright future in the arts sector in Zimbabwe this year.

In secular music, reports have shown how musicians such as Alick Macheso, Sulumani Chimbetu, Winky D, Freddy Manjalima (Kapfupi), Zacharia Zakaria and many others have been able to pull huge crowds who loved and enjoyed their music at various entertainment joints, an indication that Zimbabwean artistes are improving with time.

Having said that, I am happy to give credit to gospel musical artistes who have done very well in preaching Christ through gospel music.

Apart from the usual established artistes such as Charles Charamba, Mai Olivia Charamba, Shingisai Suluma, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave and many others who have always preached God's love through their highly entertaining gospel music, Zimbabwean Christians have enjoyed new voices and new styles of gospel music from highly promising gospel musical artistes such as Proud Priestly, Sabastian Magacha,Ellivis Munetsi, Blessing Shumba and many others.

With a picture like that I believe the sound of gospel music will always continue to entertain Zimbabweans. The new styles now being employed by artistes in gospel music such as soul, jazz, hip-hop, sungura and others, mean that gospel music will continue to get better with time.

Besides gospel music, I believe more should be done by Christian Zimbabwean artistes who love to advance the gospel of Christ by finding new forms of entertainment in order to reach out to other Christians and non-Christians.

Since people generally have different tastes they would appreciate if the gospel was packaged differently than the usual gospel music. I believe it would be a good idea for artistes to be more creative and come up with dramas, films and documentaries and other ideas that dwell on Christian subjects.

I have recently written an article titled "Christian films safe for family viewing" where I advocated for Christian films and argued how such films can be beneficial to families in cementing family relationships and unity while at the same making families and children more grounded on the Gospel of Christ.

Funds permitting, I believe this year alone would see more people being baptised into Christianity. Considering that people are more captivated by sound, action and motion pictures, it would be easier to teach the gospel of Christ to different people.

It is also easier for ministers of the gospel to teach people who show interest and a willingness to follow the direction of the gospel message as it would be dramatised in either a theatrical play, drama or film.

The Bible in Matthew 28 verse 19 to 20 commissions Christians to go into the world to teach people and to baptise them in the name of God.

I believe teaching God's word involves more than just a sermon in church or a Bible discussion. People can be taught the word of God and eventually be baptised through gospel music and other forms of Christian entertainment such as films, dramas and documentaries

Since Zimbabwe already has talented artistes who would be happy to be challenged with coming up with new creative ideas to entertain the vast population of Christians in Zimbabwe, it remains for the Government and the corporate world to provide funding and drive forward the arts industry.