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Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
KENYAN singer Eric Wainaina says his partnership with superstar Oliver Mtukudzi goes beyond music, saying they will continue working together in other businesses.
Wainaina was speaking on the sidelines of the Tuku Tribute Concert held at the Harare International Conference Centre over the weekend.
“He is like a father to me and I cherish working with him.
“The other time we went to Pakare Paye (Arts Centre) and I could see he has a big vision for arts and business. So we want to explore more in fields other than music,” he said.
Turning to the recent terror attack that claimed the lives of 67 people at Westgate Mall in Kenya, Wainaina said it was “unfortunate and sad”.
“It was really unfortunate because when the attack started most people thought it was a bank robbery.
“Even the police didn’t not react promptly thinking it was just a robbery, so it was sad indeed,” he said.
Wainaina, who lives just 5km away from the scene of the attack, said the situation is now calm and Kenya was on its way to recovery.
“It was really sad that people lost their lives during the attack but now everything is calm and there is heavy police presence everywhere. I am happy to say that we are now recovering from the shock,” he said.
Wainaina was part of the line-up that performed at the Tuku Tribute Concert where he performed his duet with Mtukudzi titled “Twende Twende”.
“For me Shona and KiSwahili are almost the same because there are some words that you find in both languages that mean the same. ‘Twende Twende’ means let’s move forward in kiSwahili,” he said.
Wainaina also hailed Mtukudzi as a musical genius whose music is relevant in everyday life.
“He speaks about social issues which are very important to us as Africans and we all share a lot of experiences and for me being here is a big honour. When I got a call from Sam Mataure about the show a month ago I dropped everything. When Tuku calls you, you go,” Wainaina said.
He said he had a great time working with Mtukudzi and was looking forward to recording more collaboration with the granddad of music.
This was not Wainaina’s first visit to Zimbabwe as he has previously performed at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.
Online Reporter