LET’S HONOUR LATE MUSICIANS

Clive Malunga

Zim Music Matrix

IT’S very rare not to face resistance from haters when you embark on national projects.

There are always people who think you should conduct business, according to their thinking. They don’t consider that we commit resources or time to make such projects successful. When I decided to buy tombstones for late musicians, many people were of the opinion that I should not waste money doing so.

They said I should use that money to assist the families of musicians make ends meet.

It became a hot topic.

Some accused me of having wrong priorities. I was very lucky to come across Davison Maruziva, a veteran journalist, who used to be the Assistant Editor at The Herald. 

He told me to remain focused on achieving my objectives.

Maruziva also told me that he could not imagine that a 30-year-old could think of tackling such a mammoth task.

I was emboldened by his words.

From the formation of Jenaguru Arts Centre in 1990, I really wanted to make a difference in the music arena.  By the year 1992, the first Jenaguru Music Festival was held at the Harare Gardens. 

My aim was to portray a positive image of the music industry and our country at large.

I never expected any reward for it.

All I expected was to build love and happiness among the families of the late musicians.

My greatest comfort comes from the smiles I see on the faces of these beneficiaries.

Personally, I am not concerned about an expensive send-off when I exit this world.

During the ‘90s, I started to sell the idea of purchasing tombstones to the families of the late musicians. 

I started purchasing tombstones for James Chimombe, Solomon Skuza, Susan Mapfumo, Tobias Areketa, Jordan Chataika, Leonard “Picket” Chiyangwa and Charles Mapika, who was Andy Brown’s drummer, in the Band Storm.

In 2000, I was very lucky to come across Onias Mahachi, a freelance researcher at National FM Radio. He provided me with phone numbers of the Chikupo family.

I knew the late Chikupo when he started his musical career in Norton during the early 70s.

He was discovered by veteran musician, Jackson Phiri, who fronted the Limpopo Jazz Band. He was both a polished singer and an extremely talented dancer. Mukoma Tinei was a dancer-par-excellence. I remember seeing him on the podium when the late great Safirio Madzikatire was performing on stage with the Sea Cottage Sisters at Ngoni Hall in Norton. 

Most fans turned their eyes on Mukoma Tinei instead of concentrating on Mukadota’s stage performance. He later on became a household name in Zimbabwe with songs like Sylvia, Chamunorwa and Mhuka Ine Mavara.

He was a freedom fighter in his own right, who encouraged and persuaded young boys and girls to join the liberation struggle, through his music.

Later, I managed to get hold of his children, Fungai and Brenda Chikupo.

We asked for permission to go and view the gravesite in Murewa and the permission was granted.  When we arrived at Tinei’s burial place in Murewa we were saddened by what we saw.

There was a small concrete slab almost one-and-half metres, with no headstone.

We honoured him by building a massive mausoleum measuring 6m by 5m, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe.

I consider it a deserved monument for a fellow musician of his calibre.

We thank , Nick Mangwana, who was our guest of honour at the tombstone unveiling ceremony.

 Also in attendance were Chief Mangwende, Honourable Simba Mudarikwa, Honourable Siwela and local village heads.

Jenaguru intended to purchase a tombstone for the Queen of Mbira, Chiwoniso Maraire.

However, our emissary to Mutambara, Mahachi, later informed me that Chiwoniso’s tombstone, and that of her late father, Dumi Maraire had already been erected by the family.

We also teamed up with Zimbabwe National FM DJ, Rabson Umali to go to Karanda to ask for permission for Jenaguru to buy a tombstone for the late Richard Mapfuwahandu who used to be a leader of Nyami Nyami Sounds.

The family has accepted our proposal where Umari will lead us.

 We are also in the process of erecting a tombstone for Cde Emlotty Ndlovu, a musician and liberation war hero who died on 7 March 2014 and was interred at the Warren Hills Cemetery. We are currently in contact with Sister Shumbakadzi-Lioness (her stage name) who asked me to do something about the grave of Ambuya Madhuve. 

She died on 5 June 2009.

Her grave does not have a tombstone and is in bad shape. I’m currently arranging with Mbuya Madhuve’s brother, Elisha Rukomba, to purchase a tombstone.

We hope it must be erected before the end of August 2022. We have already engaged Ngoda Granite Company to make a tombstone for Mudhara Daram Karanga.

The work is almost reaching the final stages.

I feel greatly honoured to be accepted by all families who have worked with Jenaguru since 1992 in this project.

NB: For feedback, you can contact me on [email protected] or WhatsApp/SMS  0782 464 001.