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‘The Zimbabwe I know’

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By Farayi Mungoshi

THE Zimbabwe I know is a place of love, peace and harmony.
A place where girls are taught respect for self and others, reflected in the way they talk and dress.
Men are brought up to learn to take care of their households without spending all their money in beerhalls.
It is a place where music is used as an instrument to build, nurture and motivate one another.
Here, ubuntu/hunhu is upheld and people have a sense of belonging, sharing whatever little they have and orphans are not shunned but have a place in the community where they are considered everyone’s child.
This is the Zimbabwe I grew up in, listening to the Bundu Boys, Thomas Mapfumo and James Chimombe; a time in history when comedy was also king in the film and television circuit, with the likes of Mukadota Family, Paraffin and the movie Jit being my favourites because they made me laugh.
Does this Zimbabwe I am speaking of still exist?
The answer to that can only be determined by you and me, the Zimbabweans living in Zimbabwe today. Let us not follow Western styles of making music or telling stories.
Back in the day, we hardly saw women drinking and smoking, not because they did not do these things, but they did them with some form of decorum — usually in private.
I recall seeing mostly the elderly women, especially those who had gone past menopause, drinking, in particular, the traditional opaque beer. Most of us may recall that ambuya or tete from the village who always demanded her Chibuku whenever we went visiting the rural areas. Barely did we witness young women, yet to be married, drinking or smoking in public like we do these days because it was deemed ‘loose and immoral’.
So why is it a common sight these days to see young women drinking and smoking and involved in rowdy drunken behaviour?
Is this progress?
It is considered cool!
We are aping the Western culture, especially the pop culture where women musicians openly drink and smoke in their videos? Whichever way it is, this is not the Zimbabwe I know.
It is through books, film, television and music that societies are mirrored and reflected, people influenced and even the course of life and governments charted.
Just by mentioning Bundu Boys, Chimombe and Mapfumo or even Mukadota, most of us find ourselves smiling – why?
Because when we mention the above names, most of us are taken back in time to a period we consider as the good years of Zimbabwe.
This is a time Zimbabwe was considered the breadbasket of Africa.
Hence it is of paramount importance that today’s musician, poet, writer or film-maker understands that he has a duty to uphold; and that is to encourage people to live peaceably with others, to preach ubuntu/hunhu with the hope that we can do damage control.
Thomas Mapfumo’s Chimurenga music was birthed during the Second Chimurenga, meaning he had a message to convey to the people to soldier on during the perilous times, to fight for freedom as one united people.
His song ‘Corruption’ was also sung in a bid to denounce corruption within our society.
Charles Mungoshi’s collection of short stories, Coming of the Dry Season, was banned in Rhodesia because it carried a message in one of the short stories called ‘The Accident’. Rhodesians felt this was capable of inciting the masses to rebel against the minority.
Our artistes today should know and be aware that their gift is not, or should not, be self-serving.
This is what makes a great artiste when he/she understands that the gift is to serve a purpose; it is for the greater good of mankind and not to destroy it, or poison our thinking.
Most Zimdancehall songs are sexually explicit, even to the extent of promoting unprotected sex as sung in the ‘Yekedero’ medley.
How can we fight the spread of HIV/AIDS when we are busy singing songs that contradict this initiative?
Should it then be a surprise there is a rise in alcohol and drug abuse in our society when our artistes are busy singing songs promoting musombodia and sex, among other vices?
I can distinguish the love story in ExQ and Freeman’s ‘Nzenza’ song, how the pair is advocating people to leave their women alone when they sing, “Ndoraramira nzenza iyoyo…,” and they go on to say, “Let her smoke marijuana, drink chikokiyana….”
It is clear that the singer is in love with a woman who operates in an unbecoming manner in as far as our culture and society is concerned but he doesn’t care.
As much as the song is a likeable tune and danceable too, it still insinuates that we must accept certain behaviours even if they go against the grain.
I can already hear some women activists whispering that my article is derogatory but let me assure you, it is more of a question, asking you the reader to assess the situation and answer for yourself whether you see this as right or wrong.
I understand women’s rights and that you are free to do whatever you please and that it is not fair when an article seems to demean women in particular, leaving out the young men.
I wish that today’s artiste learns and knows that the gift he/she possesses has the power to create and destroy.
I wish that their music be listened to and heard as exaltations for mankind.
This is the Zimbabwe I know, the Zimbabwe I grew up in.

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