adminLovemore Meya Cool Lifestyle Correspondent
OVER the years, children were socialised into believing that they needed to give more attention to their academic work than concentrate on hobbies. It was taboo to think of spending more time in the basketball pitch than reading. Academic education was to be on top of the list until one finished tertiary education.
The emergence of child stars, mostly in the First World, has given our people a lot to think about.
At the age of nine, Willow Smith from the United States is undoubtedly among the most influential teens in the world.
Canadian sensation Justin Bieber could afford to buy a Ferrari while in his teens.
Back home, teens are beginning to look in that direction, not in terms of money or influence but following their dreams at full throttle at a tender age.
One such example is 11-year-old guitarist Tawanda Dhibhura from Hopley Farm.
Just one year in the music sector, Dhibhura has done wonders and is proving to be a force to reckon with.
Having started playing the instrument at the age of 10, Dhibhura has already proved that much more is yet to come.
Taking a closer look at him, one cannot imagine Dhibhura doing anything because of his young age, if anything he can be dismissed as a mere schoolboy.
However, Dhibhura defied all odds and is a one size fits all.
Dhibhura can play all guitars, from lead, rhythm and bass as well as penning meaningful songs.
“I learnt to play the guitars last year, coming up with a good tune that anyone would envy. The desire to play guitars was born out of my love for the instrument.
“It is true that a leaf does not fall far from the tree and it defines how I started playing the guitar after watching my dad Stephen practising every day,” he said.
The talented young star narrated how he went about learning the ropes.
“I used to take my father’s guitars whenever he went out and start playing alone. By the time he returned home, he was often surprised to discover that all his guitars’ tunes had ben changed,” he said.
This forced his father, who is also a musician, to reprimand him and lock his instruments whenever he went out. But this did not deter the determined boy as he would often go their neighbour to ask for the instrument.
“When my father locked up his guitars, I turned to our neighbour Mr Masikati who asked me to come and play his. This latter forced my father to teach me some tricks of the trade up until I fine-tuned my act,” he said with a smile.
To date, the gifted player has rubbed shoulders with some of the country’s best musicians, among them sungura icon Aleck Macheso.
It was not Baba VaShero alone that Dhibhura had a stint with as he also had the chance to play alongside Dendera Kings frontman Suluman Chimbetu, Peter Moyo and Romeo Gasa.
“It was great pleasure to be recognised as someone in life by some of the celebrated artistes in the country.
“I played with Macheso and Gasa at Xtra Mile and exchanged notes with Sulu at one of his shows in the Africa Unity Square,” he pointed out.
However, no matter how good it was to have time out with the great musicians, his father remains his source of inspiration and role model.
But something of interest is how the upcoming musician dreams to be like Macheso.
He vowed to have a family band comprising his father and his two siblings – sister Febbie and young brother Tinashe.
Meanwhile, the Dhibhura family have released a six-track album titled “Yanano” with tracks such as “Titungamirei Ishe” and “Muriritiri” among others.
Like what characterises the showbiz industry, they went through a rigorous process in coming up with the album, chief among them financial constraints.
Meanwhile, plans are afoot to come up with a video album to cater for all talented children.
The doors to help for well-wishers are wide open. Given time and opportunity, Dhibhura is going to be the force to reckon with.
Online Reporter