adminand hard work.
The above aptly sums up what Club Shanga vocalist, 26-year-old Georginah Mutendah, had to go through to achieve her dream of being a musician of repute, from being a mere saleslady in the small town of Marondera.
Hers has been a journey of fortitude, determination, resilience, driven by a passion to succeed despite overwhelming personal problems that at one time threatened to derail her musical career.
From the time she undertook the arduous four-day journey to Dar es Salaam, by road – with her three- month-old baby Nicole – a year ago, to take part in the Music Crossroads regional competitions, Georginah has seen her musical career blossom.
“I almost thought of giving up on the journey since my child was young, but I realised that I needed to accomplish the journey I had started.”
“Looking back, I am glad I did,” she enthused.
Georginah was recently in Spain together with members of her group, Club Shanga, where they thrilled the Spanish with their afro-shangara beat during their European tour.
Like her peers, Georginah never imagined that at one time she would earn a living through music, let alone jet to different continents performing in front of multitudes of fans.
“I started taking music seriously in 2007, when my late husband (Nicholas Sauchi and a founding member of Club Shanga), a few friends and I decided to form a band so that we could participate in the Chibuku Road to Fame,” she said.
Driven by the same motive, Club Shanga went on the clinch the Chibuku Road to Fame provincial top prize the same year. What followed was a series of victories, in different competitions leading to the ultimate prize – the Music Crossroads regional competitions – that also ushered in a new era and opened up avenues to this little known Marondera group, after they won a trip to tour Europe.
“With only a few months before leaving for Europe with the rest of the group members, my husband was diagnosed with TB and had to immediately go on treatment,” she recalled.
“I was again faced with the same dilemma, that I encountered when I had to travel to Bagamoyo (Tanzania) with my baby. Fortunately for me, this time I didn’t have to worry much about it because my
husband encouraged me to go and assured me that he would take care of himself and Nicole.”
Unbeknown to Georginah, May 14 was going to be the last day she would see her husband alive.
Sauchi succumbed to tuberculosis on June 15, the day Club Shanga touched down at the Harare International Airport, following a month-long stint in Spain.
“I was devastated. He was a pillar of strength in my musical career and we had great plans for the future in the musical industry,” said Georginah.
Despite the trail of misfortunes in her life, having lost both her parents while she was still in school, Georginah has vowed to soldier on with her career.
“I learnt a lot with my colleagues while we were in Spain. It was amazing to realise that back here, one can just go on stage and start singing, without having received professional training, it is not the
case there. The group which toured some of Spain’s big cities among them Barcelona, Santcugat and Sambdel received rave reviews from Spanish media, who were really chuffed and awed by the level of ingenuity the group showed.
“Most of their musicians have to receive lots of training before they can start performing on stage. I realised that here at home, we are so talented, but I would not want to sit on my laurels.
“I now want to perfect my vocal skills, improve on stage work and just continue to work hard,” she said.
Club Shanga will this Saturday take music fans through an unforgettable journey when they curtain raise at the much hyped Chibuku Road to Fame national finals that will be held at the Glamis Stadium.
Online Reporter