Sidumisile Mabena
Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
A SINGLE, powerful photograph has the ability to collapse decades of time and bridge thousands of miles.
For Norway-based Zimbabwean music icon, Sibusisiwe “Busi” Ncube, that moment of temporal magic happened this weekend as a landmark retrospective celebrating one of the nation’s finest visual chroniclers made its grand debut in the City of Kings.
On Friday, the highly anticipated “Portrait of Zimbabwe / Mifananidzo yeZimbabwe” photographic exhibition by the late, legendary photographer Chicago Dzviti officially opened its doors at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo.
Having already captivated audiences during its previous high-profile runs at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Harare and the Arches Gallery at Aberfoyle in the Honde Valley, the collection’s arrival in Bulawayo marks a deeply resonant homecoming for regional art and music lovers alike.
Co-curated by Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Fadzai Muchemwa and Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the East man School of Music and the University of Rochester in American, Dr. Jennifer Kyker, the exhibition features a sweeping collection of 75 carefully selected photographs.
Among these frames of history, mounted prominently on the gallery walls, hangs a striking, familiar image that immediately commands the attention of anyone familiar with the golden eras of Zimbabwean music: a vibrant shot of Busi Ncube commanding the stage back in the day.
The photograph captures a seminal performance by Ncube at the historic Jenaguru Music Festival, an annual yesteryear musical extravaganza held at Gwanzura Stadium in Highfields, Harare.
Brainchild of musician and promoter Clive Malunga, the festival would later evolve into the official Zimbabwe Musicians Day.
Speaking in an exclusive interview from her current base in Norway, the legendary “Salundela” hitmaker looked back on the frozen moment with profound fondness.
“I have fond memories of that day. The stadium was packed to capacity, and each and everyone was singing along with me. I could have just stood there and mimicked—the audience were my voice,” Ncube recollected.
Though she admitted she only knew the late Dzviti professionally rather than on a personal level, Ncube expressed immense appreciation for the preservation of these cultural milestones, an effort catalysed by Dr. Kyker.
Ncube revealed that her connection to the exhibition’s curation was born out of a cross-continental artistic sisterhood.
“I interacted with Jennifer [Kyker] when she began her exhibition by video call. One of my former students, Tina Watyoka, introduced her to me and they called me,” Ncube shared.
Today, Ncube channels her decades of stage craft into academia, molding the next generation of international musicians.
She resides in Oslo, where she teaches music in the Pedagogisk Department at the prestigious Oslo Music Academy.
Yet, despite living in the Nordic region, Ncube rejects the notion of being disconnected from her homeland’s live music scene.
“I don’t miss anything about performing at home, as I make sure I have a performance each time I come to Zimbabwe,” she stated firmly.
“My last gig was with Carmen Warari at the Bulawayo Theatre last year. I still long to do so more often if I am still in good health.”
Even from afar, her active musical footprint remains heavy.
Just a few weeks ago, she took to the stage in the Norwegian capital to keep the Zimbabwean flame burning bright across the diaspora.
“I am still doing live gigs and recordings. I had my last live gig on the 25th of April this year, in Oslo. We celebrated our Zimbabwean Day as Nordic citizens, living and working in Norway’s capital,” she said.
Ncube’s enduring impact on the cultural fabric of Zimbabwe has not gone unnoticed by the community that raised her.
She was recently honoured at the Bulawayo Women Investment Conference — a celebration of her lifelong dedication to the arts that felt deeply personal.
“I feel honored as well as humbled to be honored while I am still alive. It was a befitting representation by my own twin sister, Siphathisiwe.”
As “Portrait of Zimbabwe” begins its run in Bulawayo, Dzviti’s photography does more than just decorate the walls of the Gallery; it serves as a vivid textbook of the country’s rich sonic heritage.
Through his lens, and through the enduring grace of artistes like Busi Ncube, Thomas Mapfumo, and Cde Chin, the euphoric roars of the Gwanzura Stadium crowd continue to echo clearly through the quiet halls of the gallery today. –
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