Chronicle Editor
Robert Mukondiwa
The setting was Gwanda town, a previously unheralded enclave that has suddenly risen like a lion in the desert, much as Las Vegas is to the United States.
This little patch in the wild that no one seemed to acknowledge has now arguably become the entertainment capital of the nation.
Artistes big and small, local and international, come to this town – the provincial capital of Matabeleland South – and leave with great memories of energetic concerts and an equally enthusiastic crowd. Some artistes get so excited that they do not want to leave. In fact, South African sensation DJ Tira came here and lost his passport in the joy of it all.
Some may speculate that he got so excited and loved Gwanda so much that he hid his passport, hoping to stay in the gold mining town forever and become iJahunda elihle like the rest of the townsfolk.
So, it was no surprise that youthful prodigy Holy Ten rolled into this town this past weekend, also wanting to be a part of the beautiful tapestry that is the collage of artistes who have made a great mark in Gwanda and be part of its glittering golden story.
Except, this was not his first show in the town. Holy Ten had made his debut once before, at the now-closed Club 263 and the sheet that he wrote his test on was a glowing disaster.
He had scribbled badly and the test result was less than impressive. It was, in fact, an absolute mess. Terrible lip-syncing underpinned what was a forgettable night in Gwanda. In the run-up to the week, that is what dominated the talk of his return. Should Holy Ten be given a fresh clean sheet and sit for another examination with the crowd, or was he not worth the sympathy? That was the question.
Then they decided to give him a fresh clean sheet. He would sit for another exam before the Gwanda crowds. And it turned out to be a Holy sheet – the best answer sheet ever to be returned by an artiste in recent times.
Holy knew what was expected of him. His early misadventure probably also weighed heavy in the back of his mind and he wanted to remedy it. It was Holy Ten like he had never been seen before – an electrifying performance with grit, energy, youthfulness and gusto.
He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands. Rolling like a rock star and balling like a boss, Holy Ten has grown as a person and as a personality, humbly understanding that the fans have demands and he owes it to them and himself to please the boss – the people! And what a genius!
There was a particular smell in the air on the day as well, which could not be ignored. If you were to raise your nose skywards or towards the crowd, you could smell it.
It was coming from the bulk of the crowd and was also a smell coming from Holy Ten himself. It smelled like teen spirit. The smell of youthfulness. The smell of enthusiasm.
The crowd interaction was also unique from his last foray. He had a palpable connection with the crowd, dabbling in language and maintaining an endless rapport as he talked at intervals to his crowd. And boy, did they eat out of his palm!
It was a brave second chance for promoter Dee Nosh, who now deserves honorary Gwandazenship – a true local, as he has transformed the Gwanda entertainment story and become the doyen that has made Gwanda the go-to place for any artiste who matters. If you have not played in Gwanda, then you do not matter. Even the extraterrestrial recluse Winky D left his abode in space to grace Gwanda! And it is all or mostly because of Dee Nosh.
As the moon made way for the break of day when the show finished almost four hours into the new day, Holy Ten had tendered his Holy sheet of answers to the Gwanda crowd to mark and unsurprisingly, he had scored a perfect Ten!
Online Reporter