admin
Tsitsidzashe Matingwina and Stanely Mushava
COUNTLESS children of yesteryear stars in music and football are taking after their parents in a bid to keep the family legacy, but the shoes appear to be too big for some.
Politics, entertainment and sport are awash with these children trying to keep it in the family line.
While a number have faltered, others have minted brighter jewels to their inherited crowns.
Although some have indeed become shining stars, the bulk have failed to reach the bar reached by their parents.
A few questions come to mind. Are some of the assertions based on individual talents or simply riding on the coattails of their accomplished parents?
Is it a matter of pursuing passion, sustaining a legacy,
eking out a living, exhibiting individual talent or basking in the glory already secured by the parents?
Family happiness rebounds with each new birth as the child is expected to be the parents’ claim to the future.
There is no exception when it comes to celebrities.
Some of the heirs have made a mark in their parents’ domains with varying degrees of vibrancy.
While some have extended the territories even further, others fare for a pale shadow of their parents.
However, being a showbiz heir means having a ready-made route to stardom unlike first-timers who have no coat-tails to ride on. Rookies out of the blue struggle for recognition, sponsorship and even airplay.
Politicians thrive on visibility and having bonus recognition cannot be downplayed.
Internationally Uhuru Kenyatta and George W Bush had to shrug off stiff opposition from contenders to land the presidium while others like Kim Jong-Un and Joseph Kabila had it handed on a filial platter.
In Zimbabwe, even politicians with a blood-line like David Parirenyatwa, Tongai Mzenda, Edson Zvobgo (Jnr) and Hamutendi Kombayi had to prove their mettle in tightly contested zones, with some landing highly taxing portfolios.
Sport has little to do with filial nostalgia as it is a cut-throat terrain where you earn your own marks as you go.
Fungai Tostao Kwashi had a colourful stint at Caps United under the supervision of his father Steve during which time he was branded the club’s hot property.
Cuthbert Malajila took the game even further than his father, former Rio Tinto player Ernest Makhosa.
The former Dynamos forward’s adventurous career took him to Egypt and Libya but he had to sneak back home in the wake of the Arab Spring.
Currently he is plying his trade south of the border.
Music, more than any other local field, abounds with heirs and heiresses who cannot shake off their family mantles.
Suluman Chimbetu had already registered his passion for music at a tender age which saw him forming a short-lived band called Dendera Trackers while his father was still alive.
“I grew up in a musical family and music is part of my DNA. Even as an infant when I was not aware that my father was a musician I was already singing.
“While I was working at the Air Force of Zimbabwe I would find time to sing and play my guitar and I also played with Airpower, the Airforce band, before I left Airforce to pursue my music career.
“It will be unfair to say that I took advantage of my father’s accomplishment because I already had my band called from NAMA, can be safely separated from opportunists as his career does not border on an honorary tag but inherent prowess.
Peter Moyo had to abort his studies in South Africa to front the popular Utakataka Express following the death of his father, the “Naye” hitmaker, Tongai “Dhewa” Moyo.
Peter was a footballer at heart and maintains he had no passion for music prior to his father’s death.
“Music has its ups and downs so I sometimes regret why I did not pursue my own passion. I was a footballer at heart and had a stint with Lancashire Steel.
“However, fate dictated that I take on from where my daddy had left off,” Peter said.
The Young Igwe had his fair share of challenges as key band members deserted upon his assumption of leadership.
His recording company temporarily muted the mic on him, having ruled that his voice needed more time to mature. His debut project “Mushonga Mukuru” was however released to considerable acclaim in July 2013.
Tryson Chimbetu intimated that his entrance into the industry was facilitated by the need to uphold Naison’s legacy but that the people among whom he grew up will be the first to attest that he was inherently talented. “I was given slots to sing at every function when I was still in primary school and I was part of the school choir. I became involved with my father’s band as a teenager and performed with him during the Warriors funding-raising gala in 2006.
“However, I had other passions besides music. I was part of the Glen View 1 High first eleven and my coach still thinks it was a let down on my part not to pursue soccer professionally.
“I also wanted to study law but when my daddy passed on, the onus was upon me to ensure that what he started would not perish. However, my passion for law never abated and I am currently studying business law with UNISA.
“Music is my first vocation now but since it is a business I am supposed to equip myself with the necessary knowledge for running it,” he said.
Lovebirds Tendai Manatsa and Selmor Mtukudzi are a peculiar case as they both descend from musical families.
Both of them maintain that they are musicians in their own right, a fact which has nothing to do with their musical backgrounds.
“Even if I had not been born into a musical family, I would still have become a musician. This is who I was born to be,” said Selmor.
“Ever since I was 10, I was already participating in school, church and other social functions. Watching my father do his act also taught me what to do and what not to do,” she said.
Tendai insisted as much. “Like Selmor, I was destined to be a musician. Being a Manatsa is not an advantage since it actually puts extra pressure on me. People are inclined to compare me to my father which is tough for me but I have to man up and prove that I am my own man,” he said.
Bruce Mpofu, son to Paul Mpofu of the “Murambinda” fame, is holding his own in a generally lukewarm terrain. Bruce says his chemistry with music started during his teens when he minded his father’s gate takings in-between his school days.
“I became involved in music as a teenager when I used to be a doorman at my father’s shows. There were issues with gate takings so whenever my father performed during the weekends when I would not be at school I would join him to do the job,” Bruce said
“Before long I gained the composure to be part of his act and became the band’s drummer. I did the drums on my father’s last album Dura Reupenyu,” he said.
In the case of Daniel Sibalo, young brother to the late “Tinokutendai” hitmaker Brian Sibalo, entering into music was more of a fraternal obligation than something premeditated.
“I had to continue with my brother’s project when he was taken ill and could not complete it. Even though I had never recorded I was roped in to do the lead vocals on Brian’s last album ‘Busa Nkosi’ which had tracks like ‘Ndopururudza.’ Surprisingly, people said they did not notice the difference,” Daniel said. He has since continued in his own right and is currently recording his third album in South Africa along with a fresh rendition of Brian’s greatest hits tentatively slated for release during the first quarter of the year.
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Gutu West legislator Tongai Muzenda who is the youngest son to the late Vice President Simon Vengai Muzenda, said he has successfully taken the baton to uphold his father’s vision in the constituency and the country.
Cde Muzenda said he owed his success to the ground work done by his parents.
“I owe it to my parents. They taught us the correct political ideology at a tender age. Mudhara Mzee would not miss a moment to educate us on the importance of Zimbabwe’s independence, sovereignty and liberation struggle.
“I have learnt to be my own man,” Cde Muzenda said in recent interview.
Cde Muzenda’s political activism started in the early 80s in Lower Gweru. He was appointed Secretary for Economics for the Student Representative Council in 1986-7.
In a way, destiny and personal choice converged to make him the statesman that he is. FC Platinum midfielder Wisdom Mutasa, son to former Dynamos midfield kingpin Lloyd Mutasa, said he was his own man.
He said though his father was instrumental in nurturing him, he always had a passion for the game.
“It was just in me and my father was always there to nurture and encourage me.
He would buy me boots and anything I needed for the game. Besides my father I have drawn inspiration from Willard Katsande and Gift Bello,” he said.
Regionally, Ngugi WaThiongo’s family is poised for a notable feat. By the end of the year, there will be four published authors in the family as Wanjiku and Nducu join Ngugi and Mukoma on the shelf.
Showbiz dynasties, from whatever angle one looks at them, are a great way of balancing tradition and trends. Heirs and heiresses may not fill overnight the legendary shoes but their efforts feed flavour and variety to their fraternities.
Feedback to: [email protected]
Online Reporter