The legend lives on

Among the guests expected to grace the event include Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu, who is also the patron the Zimbabwe Union of Musicians.

Coincidentally, Jazz 105 is now like a second home to Dembo’s sons — Morgan and Tendai – who are continuing their father’s legacy by staging shows there every Wednesday.
The documentary is aimed at giving fans an insightful glimpse into the life of Dembo as a father, musician and husband.
While many musicians would stampede for an interview with journalists, Dembo proved to be an reclusive character and there is little written about him compared to other artistes of his era.

The immensely talented singer may be dead, but his music continues to cut across age groups.
His timeless hits like “Chitekete” and “Sharai” continue to delight fans.
Although the guitarist and singer has been dead for 17 years, his fans still marvel at his artistic excellence, that remains unmatched despite the emergence of hundreds of musicians in the country.

His lyrics, fused with powerful instrumentation, have remained fresh, outliving him and his Barura Express.
Dembo’s music has transcended generations and his popularity has continued to grow, not only among those who grew up when his music was the staple diet, but even among the “Born Free” whose generation appear to be awestruck by his lyrical mastery.

During his short, but fruitful career, Dembo distinguished himself as a guitarist of repute and a wordsmith who was meticulous in the use of the Shona language.
Although he had a rich discography, whose themes centred mainly on love, poverty and social ills his best album was “Chitekete”.

“Chitekete” was probably the first and only album to spawn a song good enough to be played at the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant held in Namibia, confirming that Dembo’s music did indeed cut across language and cultural barriers.

He was camera-shy and he did not like his face to be all over the place and hence had a few videos from his large discography.
“Dembomavara”, real name Kwangwari Gwaindepi, was born on February 6, 1959 in Chivi.