Land of Gold and Gangsters

Life moves fast. Decay is part of this. Upon returning to Zimbabwe from the UK I was welcomed back to ‘the land of hardware stores’. Because all that supermarkets seem to be selling are empty shelves. New forms of queues have been created by our revolutionary government. Yes, our rulers don’t lack innovation. Bread queues are so last year. We now have beer queues and soft drink queues. This, comrades, is progress. ZANU (PF) style.

 I’m now in South Africa, doing the final mix of my album that I recorded with my band Chabvondoka. A revolutionary album that combines my spoken word with a fusion of Chimurenga, Hip Hop, Jazz and Afrobeat. It is an album layered with voices, stories and insurrectionary music. In creating it we hope to be doing what Mapfumo did in the 70’s: fusing Western and indigenous to create a new music that inspires, a music that incites a generation.

 My past few days here have been full. I’m performing at the Speak the Mind Sessions at the Arts Alive Festival in Jo’burg on the 28^th and 29^th of September then the following day I’m performing at the Awesome Africa Festival in Durban. I’m staying in Durban for the rest of that week, performing at the Poetry Africa Festival until the 7^th October. So I’ve been trying to balance the mixing with the many requests from South African corporate media for interviews and performances. Tuesday night was an interview and performance on the SABC Sentec Channel.

 Yesterday was mad. Driving around insanely with my man Teba for the 8.15am interview/performance on the popular youth station YFM where I showered listeners with the incite-ful poem, ‘The Streets‘. After this we made a mad rush to get to SAFM for 9.15 for another interview/performance. (For those of you in SA this interview will be live on SAFM tomorrow Fri 21^st after 9pm) From there we ran up the stairs to SABC Africa for the Afro Show Biz show which is broadcast throughout the whole of Africa on DSTV. Me and the presenter, Masechaba, chatted about the struggle in Zimbabwe and how we use arts and culture to try and liberate our people. (For those with DSTV this show will be live throughout Africa on SABC Africa at 8.30 pm this Saturday 22^nd) Then me ‘n’ Teba grabbed a pie and some fresh-carbon-filled air and made our way to the final interview on Mnet Africa Magic’s Africa Awakes show. (See this show on DSTV on Mnet Africa Magic on Monday at 7am) It was a good day of using the corporate media to spit revolutionary poetry and spread the knowledge about the people’s struggle back home.

 I’m now sitting in Ikwezi Studio’s with my old shamwari, Vusa, mixing the third track. Soon bed will be calling because it’s another 6am start for morning TV interviews. No rest for the restless.