When I started Jenaguru Music Festival in 1992, I wanted the carnival to bring together all the best of Zimbabwe’s music industry in a two–day music jamboree annually. However, it was not easy to convince Dr Thomas Mapfumo to come and perform at the festival. I started courting him in 1992 and my attempts continued through to 1994 without success. Many people, including me, regarded a festival without Mukanya as incomplete. I was desperate for Mukanya’s support for the festival.
I am far junior to Mukanya from all angles namely, age, popularity, fan base and activism. Mukanya is the doyen of Chimurenga music and with his Blacks Unlimited Band, he pioneered the fusion of the mbira sounds with those of the electric guitar. Backed by the guitar-playing wizardry of iconic guitarists like Jonah Sithole, his band developed the uniquely Zimbabwean mbira-guitar music rhythms. Given this background, I felt that Jenaguru Festivals from 1992 to 1994 were really incomplete without Mukanya’s participation. The media and his fans were pushing me to the limit to persuade Dr Thomas Mapfumo to come and perform. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.
In 1994, I came up with a plan of honouring Dr Thomas Mapfumo with a 21 carat gold star medal. I sourced part of the money from Gramma Records to pay Mr. Richard Summerfield’s Carlton Jewellery to make the medal. This was in preparation for the 1994 Jenaguru Music Festival at Gwanzura Stadium. Come year end, Dr Mapfumo was not yet convinced about our music project. We decided to invite him for an hour to Gwanzura Stadium where he was to be crowned “King of Chimurenga Music” by Jenaguru chairman, Dr Nathan Shamuyarira. We also invited Mr. Charles Makari and Professor Solomon Mutsvairo, the then NAC director and chairman respectively. Admire Taderera and James Maridadi were stage managers.
That same day of the Festival, Dr Mapfumo was booked at the Skyline Hotel. I drove to Skyline Hotel to convince Mukanya to come and receive his award. Dr Mapfumo together with his management team went with me back to Gwanzura. When he entered the stadium, it was around 8:00 pm and the stadium was packed to capacity. The atmosphere became electric as frenzied fans witnessed the coronation of Dr Mapfumo. The fans in the stadium gave Dr Mapfumo a standing ovation. I could feel that this was going to be the turning point. After the crowning ceremony, Dr Thomas Mapfumo went back to Skyline Hotel to perform.
Towards the end of 1995, I applied to the City of Harare for the space at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Avenue where we intended to erect a plaque in honour of Dr Thomas Mapfumo, for his contribution to the music industry and the ambassadorial role he plays when he is performing overseas. Harare City Council granted the permission. Gramma Records sponsored the purpose -made plaque to the tune of $7 500. That year Dr Mapfumo came to Jenaguru Music Festival to perform. What a memorable show it was!
In 1995 Jenaguru Arts Centre nominated Mukanya to be honoured with an honorary degree by the University of Zimbabwe. In 1999 the University of Zimbabwe finally honoured Dr Thomas Mapfumo with an honorary degree. Dr Musaemura Zimunya helped me to write Mukanya’s citation
In 2003, Jenaguru Arts Centre successfully applied to the City of Harare for Dr Mapfumo to be granted the ” Freedom of the City of Harare “. Jenaguru Arts Centre went on to work with Dr Thomas Mapfumo at the Jenaguru Music Festivals for ten solid years without any interruption. Dr Thomas Mapfumo offered his PA system free of charge as an addition to the one hired. To this day, Dr Mapfumo and I have been treating each other as big brother and young brother.
The only popular artist those days, who never performed at Jenaguru Music Festival is Pastor Charles Charamba. We invited Pastor Charamba from the inception of Jenaguru Music Festival. As the years went by we realised that Pastor Charamba was not interested in joining other gospel artists who performed at Jenaguru Music Festival. Some prominent gospel artists who took part in the festival were Baba Mechanic Manyeruke, Ivy Kombo, Fungisai Zvakavapano, Mahendere Brothers, Ruth Mapfumo and Paul Phiri. I respected his choice. I only got shocked when I heard Pastor Charles Charamba saying he could not attend the Jenaguru Music Festival because he could not associate himself with “demonic activities”. He was speaking on a live Radio Zimbabwe broadcast from the Harare showgrounds during the Harare Agricultural Show. This answer came after Musavengana Nyasha had asked him if he was going to be part of the groups performing at the Jenaguru Music Festival.
I phoned Pastor Charles Charamba the following week to ask him not to talk badly about the festival because the festival was immensely benefiting the music industry. I also told him that I respected his decision of not performing at the festival. It was his turn as well to respect the Jenaguru Music Festival. I was later shocked again to see Pastor Charles Charamba performing at the state organised galas. I thought the good pastor was contradicting himself for those galas were the brain child of Jenaguru.
Last but not least, Jenaguru invited all musicians in Zimbabwe to take Gramma Records to court after realising that they were selling our music on ZimAudio.Com without paying royalties to musicians. I gave the task of approaching gospel musicians to Pastor Haisa. Pastor Haisa approached Baba Manyeruke and he agreed to be part of the complaining team. Pastor Haisa then approached Pastor Charles Charamba to join us in our planned suit of Gramma Records. Pastor Charamba refused to join after learning that the initiative was led by Jenaguru, preferring, as he said, to stand alone.
I have always sought to show my well established brothers and sisters in the music industry that I am not competing with them. Rather than compete with each other as musicians, we should work together and complement each other. I really want all of them to buy into this reasoning. United, we can build a vibrant music industry that can be the pride of us all.