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Givemore Muzariri
TRANSFORMATION of Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) into Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) which emphasises on the correctional aspect way back in 2013 has started yielding results both to the organisation and the nation at large. The transformation of ZPCS has seen a lot of inmates being exposed to life-changing rehabilitation activities ranging from horticulture, animal husbandry to sport and art, among others.
In an effort to have a full appreciation of rehabilitation activities inmates are exposed to in prisons, B-Metro correspondent Givemore Muzariri (GM) visited Khami Maximum Prison and had an opportunity to interview an inmate,Philani Mabasa (PM),who had a lot to share about his personal and prison life experiences.
GM: Can you kindly introduce yourself to our readers.
PM: My name is Philani Mabasa a.k.a Ranga Ranga. Before being incarcerated I was a member of a traditional dance group called Hloseni Arts Group. This is one of the most famous and successful traditional groups in Bulawayo.
GM: What brought you to prison and how long will you be serving?
PM: I was sentenced to 20 years in prison on rape charges and so far I have managed to serve five years and I know that by the grace of God soon I will be back to entertain my fans, who have supported me since 1999, when I joined Hloseni.
GM: Is it true that you are an award winner in the arts industry?
PM: It’s true I won the National Merit Award in 2013 as the best traditional dancer and since then I told myself that I will continue to improve myself in terms of dances and singing as I am also a good vocalist.
GM: Does your incarceration mean this is the end of your career?
PM: Firstly, let me start by thanking Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service for transforming into a correctional institution as this has afforded me an opportunity to continue developing my talent even if in prison. When I got to remand prison I met some people that I had worked with outside. These include Dumisani and Oscar. With these guys we formed our own group called Insizwazomdeni and we started having our shows entertaining other inmates.
GM: As Insizwazomdeni what kind of entertainment were you providing to other inmates at remand prison?
PM: The two guys that I met at remand really understood the traditional dances so we decided to continue developing ourselves such that we later got an invitation to compete at the Chibuku Neshamwari competitions that were held in Bulawayo in 2017.
GM: How many groups did you compete with at the Chibuku Neshamwari competitions?
PM: We competed against 10 groups and this event was held at a place called Mana Mana beer garden and from the competition we came second. Some of the groups that we competed against included Hloseni, Iyasa, Ezimnyama just but to mention a few.
GM: What lesson did you draw from that competition?
PM: I learnt that talent knows no boundary. We might be in prison as a group but we can do even better than some of the groups that you have out there. I also realised that prison was giving me enough time to come up with original choreography and that was even noted by judges present on the day.
GM: How was the feeling like sharing the stage with your former group as rivals this time?
PM: It was a touching moment as that rekindled memories we had as Hloseni Arts Group and up to now I can’t even believe that ZPCS gave us an opportunity to reunite even if I am still serving my sentence.
GM: Did you proceed to the next level of Chibuku Neshamwari competitions?
PM: We could not proceed to the next level of the competition as we came second but the experience and exposure that we got made us a force to reckon with even if we are behind the walls. From this event I got schools like Khami Primary School bringing their school children for coaching on traditional dances, as they were competing in the Jikinya Festival dance competition and from that competition they also came second, which was very good for a start.
GM: How was the competition from your former group?
PM: I really enjoyed the competition from Hloseni and from that event I discovered that my art was now more advanced if I am to compare to what I was from all the groups that were present on the day.
GM: How are these rehabilitation activities helping you as inmates?
PM: From the time I started participating in rehabilitation programmes on offer I have developed a serious appreciation of art as this has changed the way I used to view this industry. Actually I now believe that one can survive better as an artist because all the competitions that I have been involved in while in prison I got something out of them. I now believe in hard work to live a better life.
GM: Currently which projects are you working on as a group or as an individual?
PM: At the moment we are currently working on projects that discourage domestic violence as we wait for any competitions that may come our way. It’s been long since we took part in any competition due to Covid-19.
GM: Interesting, do you have any projects meant to educate people on Covid-19?
PM: Let me say a prison is a duplicate of the communities we come from and we have access to all the information that we need. We do have a number of projects that are meant to educate our society on Covid-19 but we are not getting enough exposure to showcase those projects.
GM: What kind of reception would you expect when your sentence expires?
PM: With the purification process that I am going through while in prison I would like people to welcome me with both hands as I am now a changed man ,who now knows that he has a duty in nation building.
GM: Any words of advice to criminals out there?
PM: Crime does not pay; people should identify their talents and use them as their source of income. Those who would find themselves here just know that this is not the end of the world but a rehabilitation institution meant to transform you into a totally different person.
GM: Any word to your fans?
PM: I would like to tell them that Ranga Ranga is still alive and very active in the field of art and very soon I will be back with a bang.
Online Reporter