Tuku concert lives up to billing
3 min read
Nyore Madzianike Senior Arts Reporter
CHILLY weather and communication network glitches, which made it difficult to transact for the greater part of Saturday, failed to deter the late Oliver Mtukudzi’s fans who attended the Tuku Concert held at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare to honour the iconic musician.
Organised by the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in conjunction with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, the event attracted hundreds of music fans.
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry and NACZ board of directors saluted the fans that came to honour the late national hero.
The event kicked off around mid-morning with a handful of fans in attendance, with the numbers increasing as the day progressed.
Local musicians, one after the other, gave polished acts with the “old guard’ stealing the limelight at an event where young artistes topped the list.
Among the top performers was jazz crooner Bob Nyabinde, who was the first to take to the stage and gave a polished display that was spiced up with the late Mtukudzi’s renditions.
The “Chabuda Hapana” singer also took the fans down memory lane when he performed his yesteryear hits and shared his personal experiences with the late national hero.
After Nyabinde’s performed, Charles Charamba and his wife Olivia came on stage.
They belted songs from their discography, much to the delight of the crowd, which sang along, especially when they played “Machira Chete”.
Known as the first family of gospel music, The Charambas proved that they have come of age when they called up the “old guard” that included Mechanic Manyeruke, Zexie Manatsa, Albert Nyathi and Bob Nyabinde on stage.
They teamed up and performed the late Mtukudzi’s songs “Tsuri” and took turns to exchange the mic.
The relationship that existed between the late Mtukudzi and Zexie Manatsa was clearly noticed when he took to the stage.
Manatsa was joined on stage by his wife and son Tendai, who was playing the acoustic guitar.
The late Tuku’s daughter, Selmor Mtukudzi, did the backing vocals alongside her mother-in-law, cementing the two music families’ relationship.
The “blended” band took the fans down memory lane with songs like “Chipo Chiroorwa” and “Tea Hobvu”, as well as his popular praise tracks for top teams Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United.
Bulawayo-based singer Sandra Ndebele, who has been on the music scene for decades, also mesmerised fans with her raunchy dances.
South African musician Berita Khumalo took to the stage after Sandra Ndebele’s performance and charmed the fans with her fluency in the Shona language during her performance.
She thanked the fans who graced the event, saying their attendance proved that Tuku’s legacy still lives on.
Mozambican Stewart Sukuma did not also disappoint after he played some of his new tracks for the first time in the country.
He also expressed his gratitude for being part of the Tuku Concert.
South African saxophonist Steve Dyer, who shared the stage with Ammara Brown, also gave a splendid performance.
But it was Piki Kasamba, who wowed the crowd with his routine dances when he joined Selmor Mtukudzi on stage.
They gave a well-choreographed performance as they played Tuku music.
Alexio Kawara also performed as well as Zimdancehall stars Killer T and Enzo Ishall.
The other musicians included Mbeu, Kesia, Munya Mataruse, Juntal, Bonnie Deuschle, King 98 and ExQ.
About Author
