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YESTERDAY, we marked six years since the death of legendary musician, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi.
He is considered by many people as the greatest Zimbabwean musician of all-time.
He was declared a national hero and was buried at his Madziwa homestead.
To keep his memory alive, his family has come up with an annual memorial half marathon.
This year it will be held on February 2 at Pakare Paye Arts Centre.
Tuku musician produced over 60 albums in his lengthy and successful musical career.
He worked with the likes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh Masekela, and Ringo Madlingozi in a demonstration of his greatness.
These are world-class musicians and the fact that they were prepared to work with Tuku, and knew that he would add value to their work, highlights the greatness of Tuku.
Yesterday, entertainer Kessia Masona, popularly known as Muchaneta, said her career would have exploded if Tuku was still alive today.
Muchaneta said Tuku was a father figure who played a pivotal role in shaping a number of careers of local musicians.
Muchaneta will serve as the Master of Ceremony at the half-marathon.
She said Tuku supported her art throughout the years and gave her opportunities to open at his shows and became a father figure, who always encouraged her to merge music and acting, just like what he did in Neria.
Muchaneta was probably speaking on behalf of scores of local artists who have been given a helping hand by Tuku.
There are many artists who, without Tuku’s guidance and support, would not have made it in this very tough industry.
Tuku’s impact was not only felt on the local scene.
It continues to be felt around the world, including at the iconic Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
Six years ago, Tuku was set to headline the festival but died just days before the show.
Instead, the organisers decided to turn the festival into a special Tuku memorial.
There is no doubt that we lost a great musician in Tuku and six years after his death we have not yet recovered from our big loss.
The domestic music industry is also still to recover from the loss of one of its pillars.
It’s a huge vacuum that Tuku left behind and one that will never be filled. He was a true international artist who could even play before crowds who did not even understand a single word that he was uttering from his mouth.
We have always argued that is what our current top artists should be striving for – to be embraced by foreign audiences who will be connected to them by the power and magic of their songs.
What we have now are a group of musicians, except in the case of Mokoomba, who only appeal to Zimbabweans who are in the Diaspora.
We are happy to see that Shone is making inroads and he has age on his side and is also getting some very good contacts.
There is so much to learn from Tuku’s legacy by our artists.
We all still miss Tuku.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter