Zimbabwe is my home: Salif Keita

Tafadzwa Zimoyo

Zimpapers Entertainment Editor

“ZIMBABWE is my friend, Zimbabwe is my home and I will be there.”

Those were the reassuring words of Malian music legend Salif Keita in a telephone conversation with Ecobank Legends Night founder Joseph Chinouriri, as excitement builds around his much-anticipated return to Zimbabwe.

Keita, one of Africa’s most celebrated voices, personally confirmed to Chinouriri that he will headline the Ecobank Legends Night Africa scheduled for September 26 at Alex Sports Club in Harare.

The confirmation has added fresh momentum to what is fast becoming one of the most anticipated live music events on the local entertainment calendar.

For Chinouriri, the telephone conversation was more than a routine confirmation.

“It was a very special moment speaking to Salif. He was very clear that Zimbabwe is his friend and his home and that he will be here,” Chinouriri said.

“He has a special relationship with Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans, and we are honoured that he has chosen to come and celebrate with us. This is not just another concert. It is a meeting of African musical giants.”

Keita, popularly known as the Golden Voice of Africa, has maintained a long association with Zimbabwe and has previously performed before local audiences, including at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.

His return now comes as the Ecobank Legends Night concept gathers considerable momentum, having established itself around the celebration and reinterpretation of music from Zimbabwean legends.

This edition, however, takes the concept onto a broader African stage.

Keita will share the bill with Zimbabwean heavyweights Alick Macheso, Sandra Ndebele, Cool Crooners, Leonard Zhakata, Albert Nyathi and Yondo Sister, while the InTotal Band will provide the musical backing.

The show has since moved to Alex Sports Club in Harare, with organisers promising an evening built around live instrumentation, nostalgia and some of Africa’s finest musical traditions.

Keita’s official tour schedule also lists the Harare engagement, confirming the September 26 Ecobank Legends Night date.

For Chinouriri, bringing such a heavyweight to the Legends Night stage represents the natural progression of a concept that has grown steadily over the past few years.

“What started as a celebration of our own musical legends has now grown into something bigger. We want Zimbabwe to be a meeting point for African legends,” he said.

“We are excited about the line-up because every artist brings a different generation, sound and story. Salif brings West Africa, while Macheso, Zhakata, Albert Nyathi and Yondo Sister represent different chapters of our own musical heritage.”

The growth of Legends Night has been evident in its previous editions, with the April edition at the Harare International Conference Centre attracting a capacity crowd. The concept has also expanded beyond Harare, including a Bulawayo edition earlier this year.

But amid the growing excitement, the latest edition is also being staged against a backdrop of an increasingly heated debate over copyright and the commercial performance of music by other artistes.

In recent days, the hullabaloo surrounding InTotal and copyright has intensified, particularly following fresh statements from the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) concerning the use of music from artists including gospel musician Fungisai Zvakavapano Mashavave.

ZIMURA said this week that a US$150 cover-band licence circulating on social media was issued for one specific event and one day, and did not amount to blanket permission for future commercial performances, recordings or other exploitation of musical works. The organisation also raised questions about royalty remittances relating to Fungisai’s works.

It is an issue that has followed the concept before.

In 2025, Chinouriri maintained that the band had obtained the necessary clearance and had engaged relevant authorities and families of some of the artistes whose music they performed.

The current debate, however, has reignited wider questions about how cover bands, copyright owners, collecting societies and corporate sponsors should navigate the commercial use of Zimbabwe’s musical heritage.

For now, Chinouriri is choosing to keep his attention on the music and the September spectacle.

“We know there are conversations happening around the industry, and those conversations are important because copyright matters,” he said.

“But Legends Night is about bringing people together through music. We want to do things professionally, respect the music and give audiences an experience they will remember.”

And with Keita now saying he will be there, expectations are already reaching fever pitch.

As Chinouriri put it: “Salif has spoken. Zimbabwe is his home, and on September 26, we are welcoming him home.”