THE proof of the pudding is in the eating and that is exactly what unheralded local gospel artist Daisy Chiguvare-Mukariri did when she lit up the rural areas of Uzumba, Maramba and Pfungwe in Mashonaland East Province with a solid perfomance, endearing herself to the rural folk during a Radio Zimbabwe road show dubbed Sanganai Nevashamarari.
By The Master
Chiguvare-Mukariri, whose unique indigenous hybrid of gospel music sub-genre — a fusion of traditional music forms such as mhande, mbakumba and jiti — has produced four albums with songs Chikomana Delete and Vhangeri neNgoma making it to the gospel charts on Radio Zimbabwe in a career spanning from 2010.
She was recently afforded a chance to show off her mettle as a gospel artist by performing alongside top radio personalities in the country, who included Richmond Siyakurima — a veteran producer and presenter of Dzekurumbidza, a gospel music programme that features gospel music artists, pastors and prophets — as well as Hazvinei Sakarombe, Lionel Mkandla, Patricia Jacobs, Rachel Wambo and Season Ndundu.
The gospel songbird said she performed five songs at the road show, which was aired live on Radio Zimbabwe last week on Saturday and drew huge crowds among the rural folk, particularly at Maramba Primary School at Mutawatawa Business Centre.
“I received an overwhelming number of messages from the fans; they were happy and even the DJs came and danced on stage. It was my first show of that nature and I thank God for the exposure,” she said.
“Radio Zimbabwe normally holds such shows, but it takes along well-known musicians. I was surprised to see that I had fans in a place like Mutawatawa.”
Chiguvare-Mukariri said she realised that people were very fond of Radio Zimbabwe because “kwanga kuine chaunga chisingaite” [there were many people in attendance]. She said even when fans were being asked about Radio Zimbabwe programmes, their answers showed that they listened to the radio station.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The crowd was happy to see their favourite radio personalities live. I think such shows should take place more often to give people an opportunity to see musicians free of charge,” she said.
The show was also graced by a number of organisations, including those that offer HIV testing and counselling services. “I think the stigmatisation that used to follow HIV patients is now a thing of the past because I saw many people queuing to get tested,” she said.
Chiguvare-Mukariri said the platforms offered to musicians by Radio Zimbabwe were very important for musicians, especially upcoming ones as they helped them build their names also.
“There are so many talented musicians who are not known and at the end of the day, it will be light under the table. As a gospel musician and a pastor, I was so impressed by this event because I could use the platform to preach the gospel,” she said. Radio Zimbabwe executive producer – outreach, Sifelani Chikwape paid tribute to Chiguvare-Mukariri saying she performed very well, judging from the crowd’s response.
“All along we have carried with us mostly male musicians, hence we decided to give the girl child a chance and because her music is played and well-accepted at our station, we decided to give her the chance,” she said.
“We also take the opportunity to give our live audience the chance to see and hear their different musicians play live and the musicians also benefit through this as their music will reach and be appreciated by many.”
“We also take the opportunity to market the station and partner with our advertisers who come because of the crowds we pull, allowing them to sell their products and services.
Chikwape said that the roadshow is a programme that aims to bring radio to the people and take time to meet their listeners in their localities and afford them a chance to meet their favourite presenters in person.
l You may contact the columnist, Albert Masaka on Email: [email protected]
