I thought I would give you something a little different and post a snippet of a classic Zimbabwean comedy series featuring Lazarus Boora, ‘Gringo’. Gringo kept many people glued to their screens and in hysterics. It is one of those programs that lets you forget about everything! Enjoy:
Category: Entertainment
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Viomak – Zimbabwe Circus
Guest submission by Harriet
As Zimbabweans continue to chew bubbles and swallow air in anticipation of a quick and successful resolution to the sleazy political crisis ravaging the country, protest singer Viomak continues to call a spade a spade, and if her music is to be played at a political rally all the political clowns in Zimbabwe will hide their faces in shame. Viomak only started experimenting with protest music in 2005, but her determination, versatility and imagination have seen her turning up to be the sole woman protest singer in Zimbabwe. Thanks be to the woman who has stood against many gender and political odds to give protest music a chance in a bid to bring about leadership sanity in Zimbabwe.
The album sleeve that she designed tells a hidden story of her face looking like a circus clown. This she says exposes the circus of the situation in Zimbabwe and how Zimbabwean political leaders have become clowns. This could be the most relevant political music album of this time. It’s very unfortunate that such kind of music is banned in Zimbabwe otherwise this must to listen album was going to give solace to many deranged Zimbabweans who are unwillingly embroiled in the Zimbabwe circus politics, if only they could afford to listen to it in the comfort of their freedom. With a picture of an MDC membership card in her right hand and the picture of a Zanu pf membership card in her left hand Viomak compares Mugabe and Tsvangirai to 6 and 9. Don’t ask me where she got both membership cards from. All I know is she is non partisan, and the picture works very well with the title. The title of the album sounds promising enough.
Of course it will take a while before some people appreciate her type of music but the good thing is starters always shape the way forward and at the end of it all the crown goes to them .Whilst many people were busy making arrangements for a great Christmas holiday, Viomak was busy in and about the studio doing some touches to her album which was officially released on 25 December 2008.Viomak’s music remains in a style of its own. Its truthful nature is becoming a beacon of strength to wannabe protest singers. This is another step towards something truly special. Some political singers have avoided mentioning names. Some have remained silent on criticizing the MDC. ‘Zimbabwe Circus’ certainly inspires confidence that “freedom of expression is the backbone to a democratic society” to quote her words.
With this album Viomak has not only reinvented the musical wheel in Zimbabwe, but has shown that music is a great art that can be utilized in various ways to free one’s voice and feelings. In its uniqueness the album is packed with well thought out lyrics that blend well with awesome guitar chords, exciting drum beats, marimbas and soulful vocals that rub up against well- adapted organs and neatly tailored basslines completing the package . Her music talks and her voice sings. If you are the type of person who is not bothered about the politics of Zimbabwe this album will not interest you. However, the good thing is you can ignore the lyrics and dance to the sizzling Zimbabwean beat (as she calls it) that cushion the lyrics.
The album is one kind of a companion that can lead you through trying times without causing harm to anyone, as long as you play it in the absence of narrow minded people. If you are the sort of person who likes meaningful and inspirational songs that speak on behalf of the oppressed then ‘Zimbabwe Circus’ is a must for you, as it carries the type of music that speaks for your oppressed soul in a way that will make you applaud Viomak for the great work which most of us have failed to achieve.
The album is politically charged and is sung in a gentle way that might also put you off if you are the type of person who is into the aggressive and harsh type of voices. Viomak’s seriousness about the political situation in Zimbabwe takes toll through her vocals and lyrics. One can only imagine how emotional she was as she recorded the music .The lyrics are written in a jocular manner and that could have eased up her mood. It is up to you to judge too. I have done my part. The choice of instruments that accompany all the songs is superb too. Viomak who had to sing the rough lyrics of her songs to her producer in Zimbabwe on the phone to produce instruments of which she then added her vocals in a studio in Britain, says she faced a terrible time dealing with ‘telemusic production’, but her perseverance made her to pull through successfully. The Zimbabwean producers’ expertise with instruments matched with Viomak’s soft-to-loud vocal style to add depth to an album that is pleasant all the way through.
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Fortune Muparutsa Passes Away
Last night I read the unfortunate news that Fortune Muparutsa passed away on Saturday 25th October, 2008. This came as a even more of a surprise because just a few weeks ago we went through a period in our household where we searched for and played a number of songs by Zimbabwean artists mainly from the 90s and Fortune’s song “Wangu Ndega” was one of the songs that we played repeatedly not only because of how good it is but because of how it reminded us about the Zimbabwe of times gone by.
Way back when, when that and his other songs were being played over the airwaves or videos his being shown on ZBC TV I can remember the volume being put up and people around me enjoying the music. This was a time in life where CD’s and MP3’s were unheard of and it was all about cassette tapes. My first copy of “Wangu Ndega” was one that I recorded onto tape as it was playing on Radio 3. These were the times where you would use a pen to rewind or fast forward the tape to a particular song or part of a song if your tape player was somehow still able to play music but had lost its fast forward and reverse functionalities. You got to know how many turns in one direction or the other to go to get to a certain point. Life then was relatively simple, hassle free and people in Zimbabwe were much much happier than they are today. That is where listening to Fortune Muparutsa’s song took me. It took me to a point in time when life in Zimbabwe was good. It brought joy then and brought joy now. That is how I will remember him. Rest in Peace.
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Eric Moyo Wins Idols East and Southern Africa
26 year old Zimbabwean Eric Moyo from -
Animal Farm and Zimbabwe
I was recently encouraged by a close friend to read Animal Farmby George Orwell. I heard of the book a long time ago but never got around to reading it and I am glad that I finally have (thank-you …..). At the time of publication in 1945 it was an allegory of the Russian revolution but in recent times it has been compared to governments that have taken over from colonial powers only to become worse off than the so-called colonial oppressors. The characters in the book can be associated with real life characters. For this reason the book has stirred a lot of controversy and has even been banned in some countries. The book outlines a shift to totalitarianism and the effect it has on a population. It leads to a state where people start thinking as a group which affects individual judgement. That is the problem with the world we live in today. The world is ruled by a very small percentage of people who make decisions for the rest of us. No-one is standing up for what they believe in and are taking whatever comes their way. As a result they are suffering and will continue to do so until they speak up. The little that is said will count in making the world a better place.In the book it all started off with a dream of rebellion and freedom that a white boar Old Major shared with the animals on the farm just before his death. The cleverer animals on the farm, the pigs held secret meetings where they planned a rebellion against the enemy, man. At the forefront were two main pigs, Snowball and Napoleon who during the planning of the rebellion taught themselves to read and write and came up with seven commandments that the animals were to live by. Their plans came to fruition and animals drove Mr. Jones of his farm.
After the rebellion the pigs took up a leadership role. Napoleon and Snowball did not see eye to eye on a number of issues and Snowball was eventually driven out of the farm leaving Napoleon as the sole ruler. With the passage of time, life for the animals did not improve as they worked more and received less rations which was the opposite of what they were promised. A number of events took place that the animals thought were against the seven commandments they were living by. For example, the fifth commandment stated “no animal shall drink alcohol,” but the pigs took to the drink. One night the animals found Squealer, Napoleon’s obedient follower and propagandist on the floor after a fall from a ladder on the wall with the commandments. He was holding a paint brush and next to him was an overturned pot of paint. One of the animals knew exactly what was going on but did not say anything. Later on the animals noticed that there was yet another commandment they had remember wrong for the fifth commandment no read “no animal shall drink alcohol in excess.”
The animals were living in a society where they would take it as it is and not speak up for what they believed in. Fear had been instilled in the hearts of the animals with the help of Napoleon’s feared bodyguards the dogs. The pigs gradually embarrassed the ‘human’ way of life and one day they paraded around walking on their hind legs. On that very same day the seven commandments had been replaced with a single statement that read “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.” In the end the animals could no longer tell the difference between the pigs and the humans.
The story that George Orwell tells is reminiscent of events that have taken or are taking place in Zimbabwe and other countries around the world. It starts of with a liberation struggle after which there are promises of a better life to follow but with the passage of time that is not the case. Laws are changed or altered to suit the needs of the people in power and fear is instilled within the population who become afraid to speak up for what they believe in and against an oppressive regime.
If you haven’t read Animal Farm (Signet Classics)
