Musicians have spoken

And Zimbabwean musicians have always preached about peace, among them cricketer Henry Olonga and Celebration Church Pastor Bonnie Deuschle. The swash-buckling cricketer and the prominent pastor in 2001 came together to give Zimbabwe a soulful melody that reminds anyone around the globe who has forgotten, that there is a paradise called Zimbabwe.

After staking the claim that Zimbabwe is really our country, Olonga and Bonnie unequivocally point out that Zimbabwe was once under colonial rule characterised by racial segregation and was born through the pain of the liberation struggle. But now peace has come, and we have to build our country in peace and harmony. Political violence would tear it apart.

Nyika yedu, ye-eZimbabwe
Yerunyararo rwedu tose
Yakazvarwa mukurwadza
Nhasi togara murufaro
Tosimudza uno mureza
Tobatanidza moyo yedu
Tosimuka kuti tivake

Loosely translated as: This land our land
our land Zimbabwe
A land of peace for you and me
Once born born in pain and segregation
But now we live in harmony
Now flies the flag our nation’s glory
We live with pride inside our hearts
As we all stand to build our nation

However, this has not always been the case as political violence is already rearing its ugly head this year, even in the recently concluded party primary elections.
To superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, in the song “Ngoromera”, fighting helps in no way. Ngoromera is black magic administered to a person such that they have exceptional ability to fight, and an insatiable appetite for fights.

A person with this condition is no ordinary bully, he can kill his opponent with one blow. So to Tuku this is insanity, people have to learn to iron out their differences through dialogue.

Ngoromera ingoromera
Harina zvarinoshanda, haringabatsire
Zuva nezuva haritonge matare ngoromera
Zuva nezuva hachitonge matare chibhakera

Loosely translated as:
Black fighting magic, oh black magic
It does not help at all
Day by day, fighting does not bring peace
To Tuku, we should foster peace through dialogue.
Ngatiwirirane tiwirirane
Kutaurirana kuwirirana
Hatidi hondo
Hatidi mhirizhonga

English: Let’s live in peace
In sincere dialogue we find peace
We don’t want war
We don’t want conflict

Another musician who preaches peace is Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo, the Lion of Africa. Mapfumo is actually surprised that war still exists in the song “Hondo (War)”, as they (the artistes and the people) rejected it long ago

Hondo isu takairamba kare
Hondo isu takairamba Mambo
Hiondo isu hatiide Mambo
English: We rejected war long ago
We rejected war, O Lord
We don’t want war, Lord

Mapfumo is unhappy because war kills the poor while the rich live on. Soldiers are from poor families, and there are reports that billionaires have built bunkers in case of nuclear war. One wonders what those who dole out titles at UN agencies are doing, not recognising Mapfumo, who through music has been fighting poverty for four decades.
Kunofa varombo

Hona vapfumi vachisara
Kunofa vasina, vanazvo vachisara

English: The poor die
While the rich survive
The have-nots die, while the haves survive
Be it in war or election time, killing each other is bad. And to Mapfumo, no reason is good enough to kill another person.

Kuurayana kwakaipa kani
Kuurayana pasina nemhosva

English: Killing each other is bad, O Lord
Killing each other for no reason

And Mapfumo blasts those who kill each other for political posts.
Tafirenyika akafira chigaro
Vanhu vose vakawanda Mambo

English: Tafirenyika died for a political post
Many people die for nothing, O Lord

Mapfumo, in the song “Munongotukana (You always ridicule each other)” off the 2004 album “Zvichapera”, chastises politicians who criticise others for the mere sake of criticism. To Mapfumo, while constructive criticism is noble, unbridled ridiculing of “the other” is tantamount to the world turning upside down. And to emphasise this point, the musician calls upon his wife to gaze on this sorry development.

The wife, in our African set-up, carries the husband’s secrets. She is the one a husband tells issues troubling him. Caucasians also believe the same, hence the aphorism, “Behind every successful man there is a woman”.

Vanababa (You fathers)
Mai mwana mai mwana mai mwana woye,
Nyika yapinduka
Munongotukana varume munongotukana
Muchingoshorana varume munongoshorana

English: My wife, my wife, my wife, oh
The world has turned upside down
You scold each other men, you scold each other
You ridicule each other, mocking each other,

To Mapfumo, politicians are chosen by the electorate to serve them and the country, not pandering to their selfish whims.

Severanzerai munyika musatukane
Sevenzerai ruzhinji, musatukane

English: Serve the country, don’t ridicule each other
Serve the people, don’t scold each other

Mapfumo would be happy to know that here and there we have politicians from different political parties working together for the good of the country. Zimbabwe, on March 16 and 17 this year, voted in a constitutional referendum, leading to a “Yes” vote.

All the major political parties supported the constitutional draft such that the Herald in one of its editorials, opined that it would be better not to go for the referendum as the major political parties, that represent the majority, had already agreed.

This would also save the country US$80 million that the exercise chewed up. Furthermore, all these political parties were represented as President Mugabe appended his signature to the Constitutional

Amendment (No. 20) Bill, making it into law. There was Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T), Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara (MDC-M) and Prof Welshman Ncube (MDC).

And Mapfumo comes with a masterpiece, we are different chips off the same block, regardless of colour, religion or creed. The song Marudzi neMarudzi (Different races) shows that though there are things that we do differently, we have the same Creator.

Marudzi nemarudzi (Different races)
Maitiro akasiyana (Different ways of doing things)
Magariro akasiyana (Different ways of living)
Tsika dzakasiyana (Different cultures)
Mararamiro akasiyana (Different ways of living)
Asi Mwari, mumwe chete (But God is one)

According to Mapfumo, though we have different languages, singing styles and philosophies, we have the same spirit. Religions are different, but we have the same deity, Moslems call him Allah, Christians call him God, Jews call him Yahweh, in Zimbabwe’s African Tradition Religion he is Dzivaguru (Giver of rain), Musikavanhu (Creator),

Umkhulumkhulu, among others.
Zvitendero zvakasiyana (Different religions)
Midzimu yedu yakasiyana (Our ancestors are different)
Ganda redu rakasiyana (different skin colours
Matongero akasiyana (different governance systems)
Asi nzira Imwechete (But our path to God is one)

Then Mapfumo concludes the issue, everyone, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity, everyone is your relative.
Munhu wese wese ihama yako

Every human being is your relative.
Jazz maestro Victor Kunonga weighs in with the mournful song of a man who, due to lack of education, translating to unemployment and poverty, has been used by politicians to kill their rivals for them. But now he regrets it, bearing the brunt of avenging spirits (ngozi) and serving a jail term while the one who send him to do the deed is enjoying life. Kunonga plucks political violence from a mass perspective to the individual stand-point and shows how the perpetrator will suffer alone. He effectively discourages all doubting Thomases out there, the one who deals the blow will suffer.

Mandituma kunorova
Mandituma kunotuka
Mandituma kunoponda

English: You have sent me to beat up
You have sent me to scold
You have sent me to kill.

But then this person is facing the music of this murder alone.

Ndoripika ndiri ndoga jere
Ndoiripa ndoga nyaya iyi
Ndoiripa ndiri ndega.

Now I am languishing alone in prison
I have to repay this crime on my own
I have to repay avenging spirits alone

But the soft-spoken Kunonga’s master-stroke is that this person now has a concrete resolve not to partake in political violence. He would rather be bogged down in poverty than go to kill anyone. And like Thomas Mapfumo, to show sincerity, he tells this to his wife.

Iwe, kuno ngeurombo
Mai mwana yekutumwa ini handichada
Kutumwa handichada ini kutumwa.

English: Hey, despite poverty
My wife, I don’t want to be sent again.
Never never never, I won’t be sent again.

So the Zimbabwean musicians have spoken. The President has spoken. So have the Prime Minister and his deputies. Peace begins with you and me.
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