The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
Leisure Correspondent
AS reggae artistes gathered at New Ambassador Hotel in Harare a fortnight ago to celebrate the lives of Bob Marley and Transit Crew guitarist Munya Nyemba, one could not help wonder why this genre – despite the great talent there – plays second fiddle to Zim dancehall.
As we watched acts like Transit Crew, Hotta Fayah, House of Stone, Matthias Julius and Cello Culture, it became increasingly puzzling why such experienced musicians remained in the shadows.
Some critics say the reliance on cover versions as opposed to original compositions has done little to expand local reggae.
The question to ask then is: are these gifted singers unable to compose songs or are they content to merely capitalise on known songs and make a quick buck?
To get a better understanding of the situation, The Sunday Mail Leisure got in touch with House of Stone marketing executive Time Baluwa, who said the outfit has 18 recorded but unreleased projects.
“The problem we have with the local reggae fans is the fact that they have greater love for Jamaican tracks as opposed to original compositions by the local artists. So during shows fans request tracks by reggae legends as opposed to our original compositions and we are left with no choice but just to deliver what they want,” said Baluwa.
“… I can tell you that the various reggae artists in the country have a lot of very good quality original music. Between golden oldies done by Zig-Zag Band to the current crop of artistes, there is a lot of original music that has been produced. The challenge we have though is fans seem not to appreciate local content.”
US-based Mathius Julius shared similar sentiments, adding that there was need for reggae singers to come together to build a solid community.
“Fans are the ones who demand music by international artistes. However, I tend not to give into their demands at times and continue dropping my own compositions as I feel it’s better to have the crowd look and listen to me than just to see them jumping as I do covers,” he said.
“I believe the future of reggae is bright in Zimbabwe though the limelight might currently be on Zim dancehall. I believe one way to get reggae back on the map is for artistes to organise a festival like the Jamaican Reggae Sunsplash that pushes nothing else but pure reggae. That way we can begin to regain the much needed momentum.”
Seasoned arts practitioner who has worked closely with artistes at various festivals and has played a critical role in advancing reggae in Zimbabwe, Tavonga “TK” Mafundikwa weighed in saying: “Local reggae bands are not lazy at all actually they work very hard. It’s not something unusual for bands to do covers. It’s something that is internationally accepted. Even Jamaican artistes do covers of their peers at their shows.”
Mafundikwa was, however quick to point out that it was unacceptable for a band to do 100 percent covers at shows.
“Transit Crew has since the ‘80 been releasing their own works and these have been warmly received by their multitudes of fans. Joint shows should be encouraged on a larger scale as this improves the quality of music being churned out. The Bob Marley and Munya Nyemba commemoration gig brought a lot of surprises as unknown youngsters stormed the stage and showed all and sundry that they have what it takes to take reggae music to higher levels.
“Transit Crew has unfinished works in the studio that they were working on together with the late Elder Munya Nyemba and soon they will be in the studio to complete those. By and large reggae is here to stay.”
