The Sunday Mail
Sulu performs at the independence celebrations in Gaborone last weekend (left) and the dendera crooner salutes his fans at the show
Prince Mushawevato recently in Gaborone, Botswana
THE inaugural Uhuru celebrations in Gaborone, Botswana, led by dendera crooner Suluman Chimbetu, found enthusiastic takers as Zimbabweans in the country expressed deep love for their motherland.
And the conducive environment in the country made the celebrations held on April 18, at Botswanacraft, an arts centre, more memorable.
Perhaps most heartening and what made the independence celebrations heart warming was an encounter with the Tswana police as we headed towards Gaborone where the celebrations were held.
“Good people, please for the time being do not be tempted to cross into South Africa, it is not safe. The people there don’t like you and us as well. We would rather have you here in Botswana. You are our brothers and sisters. We love you,” said the Tswana officer as he checked our passports.
Botswana has become a second home for tens of thousands of Zimbabweans. Driven by those statistics, Suluman aka Captain Sulu, accepted an invitation by unheralded event coordinator Robin Chivazve, a Zimbabwean based in Botswana, to play in the country.
Prior to the gig, a number of cars could be heard playing songs from the entertainer’s last offering, Gunship. The most played tracks being “Nyuchi”, “Hondo” and “Idah Nhoro”.
And on the night of pomp and fanfare, reminiscent of many such musical galas in Zimbabwe — Zimbabweans and their Tswana friends danced to Sulu’s enriching music. Not even a downpour during the show could dampen the celebrations typified by a wildly happy crowd.
The dendera crooner, who headlined the gig dubbed “Ngoma-Celebrating Zimbabwe’s Independence” delivered a scintillating performance. Delivering a well crafted playlist that was characterised mostly by dendera revolutionary songs, Sulu managed to grab the attention of the diverse crowd from start to finish. The show even bore a new relationship — Chivazve, popularly known as Robbie Rob, was appointed Orchestra Dendera Kings regional manager during the visit.
He will be responsible for organising shows and the group’s affairs in Botswana and across the Southern African region except Zimbabwe.
“The man (Sulu) is just brilliant. He knows his stuff and I must say I’m impressed to the core. This is my first time working with him and I can assure you this is not the last. In fact, we now have a solid working relationship beyond this promoter/artiste connection,” revealed Robbie Rob.
According to Robbie Rob the Independence Day celebrations in Botswana are set to become an annual affair. The idea, he said, was to remind Zimbabweans based in Botswana of “our heritage as well as paying tribute to both fallen and surviving liberation struggle heroes”.
“I have been living in Botswana for close to 15 years but celebrating independence has always been my thing every year. With my life heavily rooted in the entertainment industry, I then decided this year to use the platform to help Zimbabweans based in this country celebrate Independence Day.
“As we speak, people are celebrating 35 years of self-rule in Zimbabwe. It is only wise for us to do the same here in Botswana. I think through this gig, people have been reminded of our history and the importance of this day.”
Sulu’s performance marked the official launch of the annual event.
The gig will be conducted by Robbie Rob’s newly formed promotion vehicle named “Ngoma”. Apart from celebrating independence, the company will also help other Zimbabwean artistes, breakthrough the Botswana market.
The singjay-cum-promoter said besides cultivating a spirit of patriotism, the event was also going to go a long way in fostering unity between the two countries (Botswana and Zimbabwe).
“The more the Zimbo’s and Tswana’s interact, the more the spirit of tranquility and tolerance is created among them,” said Robbie Rob, adding, “We hope that sponsors like Western Union will keep supporting us. Next year we intend to bring more artistes from Zimbabwe for the event.”
Sulu will feature in every edition of the celebrations by virtue of being one of the founding artistes.
The dendera crooner was supported by Botswana based Zimbabwean producer-cum-musician Tawanda Kasaira aka Dr Tawanda and Ngoma Marimba. Dr Tawanda, whose popularity in Botswana is soaring, has already begun recording a collaboration with Sulu titled “Hosana”.
The two artistes sampled the song during the gig and it got a rapturous response.
At present, Dr Tawanda’s track “Unconquerable” is causing shockwaves both in clubs and radio stations in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Said Sulu: “I’m happy that Zimbabweans based in this country appreciate and understand the importance of independence. The prevailing jovial mood helped us up our act. As dendera we are prepared to execute national duty at whatever level.
“Independence did not come on a silver platter thus it should be celebrated by every individual each year. And it is encouraging to note that some of my countrymen have not been home for years but they still treasure the day. This should be the mood across the globe.”
Zimbo’s in Botswana gave a thumbs-up to the event organisers and artistes that took part.
“I have spent the greater part of my life in Botswana but I still love my country. For reasons beyond my control, I cannot travel to Zimbabwe to celebrate Independence Day with my family and friends. But I’m glad I joined them today (April 18) through this event. Thanks to the promoter and Sulu for making it possible,” remarked Priscilla Ncube.
