dyton mupawaenda
MUSICIAN Gary Tight poured out his frustrations on Tuesday after he was left out of the line-up for the inaugural Oliver Mtukudzi International Festival of the Arts.
Gary said he was gutted to be left out of a two-day festival which will honour his mentor, the immortal Tuku.
Gary revealed that he had been hosting free shows at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton for two years, as part of efforts to keep the centre alive, and feels betrayed after the organisers, Tuku Music (Pvt) Ltd, after they left him out.
He said after recording ‘Ndizarurire,’ which features the late music superstar and national hero, Gary felt he had earned himself a place as part of Tuku’s wider “family” and deserved a place in the line-up.
He was one of the musicians who performed at Sam Mutukudzi’s memorial gala, alongside Mbeu, in 2016. There is no question that Gary is a product of Tuku and, by his own admission, he says he owes everything he has to the tutelage he received from the late great musician.
He believes that alone should also have made him one of the artists who should be performing at the high-profile event. The festival, spread over two days, is set for this Saturday and Sunday at Pakare Paye Arts Centre.
We understand his frustrations.
The festival organisers have said they regard Gary as part of the Tuku family and the unfortunate thing was that they could not accommodate all the artists who were associated with Tuku during his lifetime.
They said this was just the start of this festival and, in the coming years, the likes of Gary, and other artists, will be given their chance to perform at the festival.
We believe that it was inevitable that there would be omissions, and controversy, when it came to this festival.
Yes, the Selmor incident was an unfortunate and unacceptable one but we also believe that Tuku touched the lives of so many artists it would be virtually impossible to get them to all perform at this festival.
We also believe that we should not let the controversy overshadow what is clearly a noble initiative and a festival meant to celebrate the life of one of our greatest sons. The complaining should stop now and all the focus should be on the event itself because this is a major event on our local musical scene.
When we are talking about Tuku, we are not talking about just another musician.
We are talking about a legend who, in the eyes of some, is the greatest musician to emerge in this country.
Therefore, it is important that we ensure that this festival, which is meant to honour and celebrate his life, should be a success.
It’s not time for the grumbling but it’s the time to support this event.
Let’s forget the things which might have divided us, in the countdown to this festival, and unite in making sure that it is a grand success story.
We owe it to Tuku.
Online Reporter