Spreading the word in foreign lands

of them carried with them their dreams and aspirations and made them a reality. Among them were members of the Johanne Masowe eChishanu sect, who congregated in one of the United Kingdom’s vleis and produced an album. Entertainment Editor Ruth Butaumocho (RB) had a telephone interview with one of the group members, Lyndiwe Mabote (LM), on their debut album and life overseas.
RB: When did you start singing?
LM: Singing in Masowe is an full-time activity and pastime. It is a means of communicating with our Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have always been singing within the church but we only got serious in 2003, when it dawned on us that we could spread God’s message through song.
On the formation of the group, we can say Masowe has always been around and we sing as Masowe Recordings and after all these years, we only managed to release an album in December 2010.
RB: Who inspired you to sing and why did you choose gospel music at a time when the genre is literally flooded with new works?
LM: The Holy Spirit inspired us to sing. We thank the Lord. We are a Christian group, singing gospel music is part of conveying the word of God to the whole world. What we are sharing in this production is a reality of our Masowe services. We are not really bothered about the number of artists who have taken an interest in the genre because we believe they are all driven by an inner passion to spread the gospel.
RB: Are you part of the group Lyndiwe and where are you based?
LM: Yes, I am part of the Masowe eChishanu (UK) group, where we are based. I am extremely humbled to be part of the group, which to me is like being in big family, where we take care of each other’s problems and welfare.
As you can see from the picture, we are a big group and we are based in five different towns: Southend-on-Sea, Leeds, Luton, Coventry and Nottingham, but we are one big group.
RB: Can you tell us more about your album?
LM: Our album is titled “Yeso Arikushevedza”. It has five tracks: “Simabhi Usandikanganwe”, “Yeso Arikushevedza”, “iHossana Hossana”, “Handidi Kuenda Kugomba Remoto” and the remix of “iHossana Hossana”.
Although we have tight schedules due to either work or college commitments, we hold daily practices and it took us roughly three months to put everything together.
It was not an easy thing to do but we thank the Lord for giving us extra fortitude to juggle work and the musical project. As I am talking to you Ruth, the CD is now available in Zimbabwe at Metro Studios.
Generally, the message on this CD is about one’s relationship with God and how we should seek to achieve that. More often than not, Christians find it difficult to communicate with their Maker, something they should do on a regular basis. So we want to highlight how one can get closer to God. Looking at the CD, I can say it is a spiritual acappella that one can listen to in moments of joy, or sorrow. The message there can bring you closer to the Lord.
The first track called “Simabhi Usandikanganwe” (Simabhi means God, Mwari or Unkulunkulu) is a prayer or plea to God to not forget us whilst we strive to pray to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The song intends to draw the attention of listeners to the departure moments – when the human soul leaves the human body. That is the day we are mainly talking about in this song. We are actually pleading with God not forget to direct our souls when they start the actual journey to Heaven.
Track two has the song “Yeso Arikushevedza”, which is also the title track on the album. The song is a message to every heart and soul on earth that our Lord Jesus Christ is calling upon us to pray.
This song emphasises on our mission as ambassadors and apostles of Jesus Christ of constantly reminding everybody that Jesus is forever calling on us to worship God.
Therefore, as Masowe, we are calling upon everybody to join us in worshipping of our Father.
The third track on the CD “iHossana Hossana”, we are, we are singing Hossana in praise of our God, who sees us through life’s trials and tribulations. This is more of a praise and worship song, which can be used to commemorate special happenings or events whilst praising and thanking our Lord. The special commemorative event can be a wedding, birthday, graduation day or just the daily gift of life.
Listening to track four, “Handidi Kuenda Kugomba Remoto”, the message is quite clear, where a Christian pleads with God not to go to Hell and burn.
The song uses metaphors to capture the listeners’ imagination and also create a vivid picture of sinners burning in heaven. The alum ends on a low note with a remix of the song “iHossana Hossana”.
Ending the album on a rather quieter note of humming is symbolic. It is a prayer for peace and harmony so that all creatures and plants – big and small – can live harmoniously.
RB: Since your group was formed, have you held live shows, either in the UK or here in Zimbabwe?
LM: I wouldn’t call them shows as such, but we have done some singing at church gatherings for the Church of England and at the Mubatanidzwa for all Zimbabwean churches, the support was overwhelming and people loved our music and we thank the Lord for that.
RB: How do you view Zimbabwean gospel music?
LM: We are proud of the Zimbabwean gospel music and the vast transformation it has made over the years.
Most gospel songs that we hear being played on radio have messages that are quite powerful, which I believe is an indication of the Christian background we have in Zimbabwe.
RB: What message do you have for your fans out there?
LM: I just want to say that although choice of belief has been given unto all, Heaven is there for believers of Jesus Christ. That means those who worship in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, those who abide by the Ten Commandments and hell is also awaiting for those not on the preceding accord.
So long as the Holy Spirit continues to guide us, we are planning on releasing more albums as we want to spread the word of Jesus Christ unto the world.
RB: As a Zimbabwean in the Diaspora, what have you done to portray the country’s good image either through music on any other activity?
LM: Despite being in a foreign country we have maintained the identity of the Apostles (Mapostori), through the commonly identified dress code of white garments. All the songs on this production have been done in Shona, which is a common Zimbabwean language. Even though the production was done in the UK, we did not forget to share it with all the people in our motherland. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we share with the people what Zimbabwe has to offer and in the process learn from other people as well.
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