Blood, bush and song: Mazarura’s stirring tribute to liberation war heroes

Sunday Life Reporter

WITH the Heroes Day holiday just around the corner, fast–rising Afro fusion musician, Ranson Madzamba, better known as “Mazarura”, has released a song that fittingly chronicles some of the painful sacrifices made by the country’s liberators.   

The single Mukoma Ranga, was released alongside a music video that sees Mazarura give a blow-by-blow account of an armed combatant Mukoma Ranga, who puts life and limb on the line in the service of his country. With the black majority under the brutal yoke of colonial rule, Mukoma Ranga, like thousands of young Zimbabwean combatants, who left the comfort of their beds for a rough life in the bush, decides to take arms and confront the beast oppressing his people.

With a gun in his hand and a fierce yearning for freedom burning in his heart, Mukoma Ranga fights with all his might, but like countless others, he is not able to get to the Promised Land as he dies in battle. His death, however, is not in vain, as he made the ultimate sacrifice for a free and independent Zimbabwe.

While the lyrics of the song are touching, the video gives the song even more punch, as it brings out in high definition the heavy toll paid by a generation of fighters that were ready to give up their lives for the Zimbabwean cause.

According to Mazarura, who gives a five-star performance, Mukoma Ranga represents all the liberation heroes and heroines, who died during the liberation struggle.

A communication and advocacy guru by profession, Mazarura music is an indication of the fact that he is indeed a man of many talents. Muzarura, who plays the mbira, is the man behind the Vision 2030 Tinosvika/Siyafika hit jingle. He also is the man behind such songs like Tinochema Magamba, Africa, Say No to Drug and Substance abuse, among many jiti compositions.    

In an interview, Mazarura said he believed musicians have a superior role to play in the developmental trajectory of the country. 

“Musicians have a bigger role to play for every nation to prosper. Music played a pivotal role in the struggle for an independent Zimbabwe. It provided the morale for people to continue quenching for the blood of the enemy. Music thus has the power to unite people for a cause and that is the attribute that made me fall in love with composing music.

“I will continue using it for the preservation of our culture and history. I will also continue using it to unite people for a cause and change certain social traits that slow the development of our country that came into being through the sacrifices of people like Mukoma Ranga,” reiterated Mazarura.

The award-winning communicator, who has made a name for himself in various fields, has, over the years, been rewarded for his stellar work, with the Institute of Public Relations and Communication Zimbabwe awarding him the best Communication Personality award twice. In 2024, he was among the 40 under 40 most influential leaders in the country.

His Vision 2030 jingle managed to compress the NDS1 document into an interactive phenomenon in the music industry, charting the country’s economic direction in an exciting and digestible way.

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