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More than 5 000 people attended the all-night gig. The Unity Gala is an annual commemoration which brings Zimbabweans together to celebrate, through song and dance, the signing of the Unity Accord by Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu on 22 December 1987.
Running under theme: “Unite to indigenise, empower, develop and create employment”, this year’s gala will be a memorable one for many, mostly those from Gokwe and the surrounding communities judging by the high turnout and the celebratory mood that gripped the town between Friday and Saturday.
The hosting of the event in Gokwe was an early Christmas present for the audience some of whom walked from as far as Manoti, Chireya and Chitekete among other far-away areas to witness the grand event which also brought together many of the country’s musical gurus.
The event brought life to the usually sleepy town with enterprising people taking advantage of the huge turnout to sell hats, scarves and miniature national flags at the venue.
An array of food options was also in place with braai stands and mobile kitchens all over the venue, an open space in the central business district. The actual gala started at around 6pm and by then, 1 500 people had gathered with most of them already in celebratory mood as they enjoyed music from emerging artistes who were curtain raisers as the PA system was being tested.
The cold and wet weather on Friday night and Saturday morning did nothing to dampen the celebratory mood. To give the all-night gig a befitting honour, two local chiefs, Njelele and Chireya spent the whole night mingling with the crowd while enjoying the music.
No big names played on Friday night with only Sandra Ndebele, Leonard Zhakata and Cde Chinx gracing the stage in the early hours of Saturday.
However, it was not a matter of who was on stage as the crowd cheered even little-known groups. An up-and-coming Kwekwe-based choir received befitting applause when they sang some yet-to-be-recorded songs for almost 40 minutes.
Big names performed late Saturday morning with the Chimbetus — Tyson, Alan and Sulumani — taking the crowd by surprise when they gave a joint performance at around 11am.
Before the trio, men of the moment, Blessing Shumba and Jah Prayzah both had spirited, separate performances. The latter left the crowd asking for more with his hit song Gochi-Gochi which sparked a stage invasion.
Sungura maestro, Alick Macheso received wild cheers when he got to the stage at around 11.30am.
He kept the crowd on their toes with many of his popular songs. After showcasing his talent by playing the guitar with his head and legs, Macheso wished the crowd a happy Christmas and New Year. He was however forced to abandon his BMW X5 which he drove to the venue and got into a Range Rover after the crowd mobbed him.
Utakataka Express heir, Peter “Dhewa” Moyo, who performed after Macheso received little attention as the crowd turned to Macheso, scrambling to shake hands with him.
The crowed could be seen dispersing as Peter and his band were playing.
Online Reporter