I was very adventurous when I was in my teens. I would travel all the way from Norton to attend music festivals at Gwanzura Stadium. Then during our Youth Club music sessions at Ngoni Hall in Norton, my age mates would gasp with both surprise and admiration as I narrated to them the things I would have seen at musical festivals. I would talk about Dr Footswitch, James Chimombe, Wells Fargo, Thomas Mapfumo, Susan Mapfumo, Pied Pipers, Zexie Manatsa and Oliver Mutukudzi among others. By the age of thirteen years I was already aware of my deep passion for music. I wanted to be a step ahead of my age mates.
Before I started organising Jenaguru Music Festivals, I also used to follow the unsung heroes of the music industry, the promoters. These included the likes of Billie Tanhira, who brought Don Williams to Zimbabwe and J.J. Chavhunduka, who groomed me to be a music promoter. Mr Chavhunduka would invite me to attend a cocktail party a day before a published concert. I had the opportunity to attend all the cocktail parties organised for Lucky Dube, P.J. Powers, Brenda Fassie, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Soul Brothers, Jimmy Cliff and many more. J.J. Chavhunduka is the same promoter who helped me to invite Jambo to come and perform at the Jenaguru Music Festival. Since he was known internationally, I sent him to South Africa to sign a performance contract with Jambo. I was inspired by the late J. J. Chavhunduka.
The first Jenaguru Music Festival was held at the Open Air Theatre in Harare Gardens. I had expected Oliver Mutukudzi to be among the main attractions of the show. Although Oliver Mutukudzi had agreed to perform, he could not make it because he had been invited to the South African Film Awards to receive his award for the song Neria. However, Mukoma Mutukudzi did not disappoint; he made arrangements to be represented by Picky Kasamba and the Black Spirits at the inaugural Jenaguru Music Festival. The concert was a great success because of the support it got from artists and the media.
There was a time when Dr Oliver Mutukudzi’s performance declined a lot. He was no longer the superstar that we used to know. At one time he came to Jenaguru Music Festival being backed by the Zig Zag Band. I could see that it was very difficult for Mukoma Oliver Mutukudzi to cope. Picky Kasamba epitomised good friendship and was always within the vicinity of his elder brother. Picky demonstrated unparalleled loyalty to Dr Oliver Mutukudzi during happy and sad times. He was never shaken by adverse circumstances. If Picky had been a combatant during Zimbabwe’s liberation war, he would have been promoted to the rank of detachment commander because of his unwavering support to the objective.
I was naturally very saddened when I heard that Picky Kasamba had resigned from the Black Spirits. This is one guy whom many people thought was Oliver Mutukudzi’s blood brother. And not without good reason! The combination of the two seemed to have been made out of this realm. For example, their dance routines and voice tie-ups were always in sync. At one time, Picky Kasamba had to be the drummer of the band. Oliver Mutukudzi was a person never to give up – he kept pushing on even when things looked bleak and so did Picky.
Mukoma Oliver Mutukudzi was always present at the Jenaguru Music Festivals. There was a time when Dr Thomas Mapfumo, Simon Chimbetu, Leonard Zhakata and John Chibadura would charge me very high performance fees, but Dr Oliver Mutukudzi would ask me to pay whatever I could afford. He could even take half of what I was paying the other groups. When Dr Mutukudzi went through a dry patch, some fans started saying “he is finished” (apera). Even local bars and night clubs seemed to conspire to deny him performance contracts. It’s hard to imagine how he managed his day to day life in those days.
Then under the management of Debbie Metcalfe, Dr Mutukudzi rediscovered his missing code. He started again to churn out hit after hit: Bvuma, Shanda, Nhava, Tsimba itsoka and many others. The very fans who were saying apera started flowing back to him. They suddenly started saying Nzou is great. We all know how he was deservingly declared a national hero when he died. We must celebrate our heroes when they are still alive. Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Ottis Redding were living heroes before their deaths. Artists get inspiration and strength from their fans. It’s high time Zimbabwean music fans should stand by their favourite artists through thick and thin. Fans make the artists rise. They must also guard jealously against their downfall. Encouragement is key.
How many of us visited Dr Mutukudzi when he was seriously sick at his Norton house or at the Avenues Clinic where he finally succumbed to his illness? Giving our heroes posthumous accolades and testimonies are a waste of energy when they are filled with emptiness, lies and pretence. Let us show true love to each other now when we are still alive.
I have come across many established families in the music industry. Let me hasten to say, Dr Mutukudzi ‘s wife, Amaiguru Daisy, is a wife and half. She stood by her husband during very difficult times: financial problems and then sickness. She cared for him, dressed him, fed him and, above all, showed him love. Daisy suffered two blows in a relatively short time. She lost Oliver, when she had barely recovered from the loss of Sam. The untimely death of Sam really pained me. He was a young man with a very bright future in music. He had all the ingredients of becoming a megastar. He could sing, dance, compose, arrange, do sound engineering as well as play mbira, hosho, guitar and saxophone. I enjoyed watching Sam performing together with his father (Nzou nemhuru yayo). The love and bond between them was extraordinarily excellent. Daisy has borne the loss of both with extraordinary fortitude.
Oliver Mutukudzi was a world class musician who made us proud to be Zimbabwean. He raised the Zimbabwean flag high beyond the sky wherever he went. I am looking forward to seeing documentary films and carvings in his honour and a special day to remember his passing on. May his soul rest in eternal peace.