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Matabeleland robbed of two cultural giants

By Fidelis Manyange MATABELELAND is poorer without its two giants in the cast of Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu, a revolutionary, accomplished writer, historian and a leader par excellence as well as Pathisa Nyathi, a repository of history, renowned novelist, cultural practitioner, publisher and founder of...

Bira Rembira lives up to its billing

By Fidelis Manyange IT was rude awakening for the prophets of doom who had written off last weekend’s ‘Bira Rembira’ at Gwanzura Stadium, Highfield, as a ‘non-event’.Held under the theme “Our Identity, Our Pride; Bringing out the Humanity in our Culture and Heritage,” the event...

Artistes’ feuds: Real orstage-managed?

By Fidelis Manyange EARLIER this year, rapper Kikky Badass (real name Christabell Stembeni Mahlungwa) dissed Holy Ten as “a bad artiste as he failed to take care of all his children, unlike Enzo Ishall”.Unperturbed, the ‘Ndotokuda’ hitmaker shot back: “Wangu, I do not give a...

Mbira Month: Celebrating our heritage

By Fidelis Manyange THE mbira, also known as thumb piano, is a uniquely African traditional instrument that has been played for more than 1 000 years and is integral to the traditions and cultural identity of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The instrument, which consists of...

How music oiled Zim’s war of liberation 

By Fidelis Manyange  IN our motherland, the month of August is synonymous with our liberation war heroes, both fallen and living.  It is the month in which we commemorate the gallant sons and daughters who fought against the colonial regime to usher in the freedom we...

How music oiled Zim’s war of liberation

By Fidelis Manyange IN our motherland, the month of August is synonymous with our liberation war heroes, both fallen and living.  It is the month in which we commemorate the gallant sons and daughters who fought against the colonial regime to usher in the freedom we...

Let us honour our fallen artistes

By Fidelis Manyange. A RECENT visit to the late Solomon Skuza’s home in Plumtree’s Ntoli area, about 70km from Plumtree town, provoked me to pen this piece on the need to honour our departed artistes. The ‘Love and Scandals’ and ‘Banolila’ hitmaker’s grave lies...

What’s in a band’s name?

By Fidelis Manyange BAND and dance group names play a pivotal role not only in marketing the performing artistes, but also their songs and live shows.  While some names portray reality, others tend to mislead the fans.  Over the years, thousands of male patrons have been thronging...

Artistes who made it big after splits

By Fidelis Manyange IN last week’s edition, this writer dealt at some length with a slew of artistes who dumped their paymasters but subsequently fell on hard times in the dog-eat-dog world of music.  This week the focus shifts to those who made it big after...

Artistes that found solo acts tough

By Fidelis Manyange DURING Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a colt or donkey, the people displayed their reverence by throwing their cloaks over the animal. Some spread their cloaks on the road, while others laid a carpet of tree branches on the road. The...

UMP bristling with talent

By Fidelis Manyange WIKIPEDIA describes Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe, popularly known by its initials, UMP, as “a very rural and underdeveloped area, populated by peasant farmers who depend on subsistence farming with high poverty levels”.  But for Zimbabweans at large, UMP is the ruling party, ZANU-PF’s political...

Leonard Dembo: The untold story 

By Fidelis Manyange  LAST week, Wednesday, April 9, marked exactly 28 years since the death of sungura legend Leonard Dembo.  He died in 1996.  Dembo’s real name was Leonard Tazvivinga as opposed to Kwangwari Gwaindepi as is widely reported.  In fact, Kwangwari Gwaindepi was his grandfather and that...

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