BY NYASHA CHINGONO
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has taken his fight against corruption to the ears of thousands around the world via Reggae music with a new song entitled, Dem Loot.
The scribe, who has been arrested three times in the past six months for challenging and exposing alleged corruption in the current government, released a short video on Twitter singing against what he says is an endemic rot in Zimbabwe. The recording has sparked a flurry of follow-up versions under the hashtag #demlootchallenge.
Zimbabweans on social media have joined his “challenge” to denounce corruption in their government, which is blamed for, among other things, the collapse of the country’s health system.
Dem Loot (they steal) — an adaptation of Jamaican musician Shabba Ranks’s 90s release Dem Bow — garnered 120 000 views in 24 hours on Twitter. Chin’ono’s version laments the lack of prescription drugs in the country’s hospitals and high rates of unemployment and poverty.
The song has been trending on social media, with other Zimbabwean producers and singers, including Austria-based Vusa Mkhaya, joining in the challenge, releasing their own reggae and jazz renditions, and versions using the mbira, the country’s traditional instrument. According to Transparency International, Zimbabwe loses $2 billion (£1.5bn) to corruption annually.
Chin’ono said music was a powerful tool to engage young people in the country. He said it was important for youth to engage in political discourse.
“Music is a very powerful tool when dealing with corruption. You realise that in order to get to youth, you need to speak a language they understand. The song is meant for the youths to engage in day-to-day political discourse,” Chin’ono said.
- 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
“It was not planned, but the song has become very popular, we have been trending for the past two days.”
Chin’ono was released recently from a maximum security prison after 20 days in detention on allegations of communicating falsehoods, as the Zimbabwean government continues to clamp down on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s critics.
Before the arrest, Chin’ono was on bail on separate charges of inciting violence, after he voiced support for an anti-government protest in July last year, and on contempt of court charges for claiming corruption within the country’s national prosecution agency. He is known for exposing corruption by the former Health minister, Obadiah Moyo, who was involved in a $60 million Covid-19 supplies scandal. Moyo was later dismissed by Mnangagwa. — The Guardian
