For many years the history, beliefs and the folklore of our local communities have been kept alive through the power of music, which is a vital component and apparatus of storytelling.
In our everyday context in Zimbabwe, stories have been passed through the ages by musicians who become social commentators and custodians of being the conscience of the society.
Patriach Joel Welcome Manyabi whose stage name is Bhila, and is based in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo is one musician, who has an enchanting voice that captivates and draws the listener into an emotion of deep thought and contemplation.
Music is driven by emotion and it is the power of the emotion that makes the message that the musician is putting across in order to be effective, sensible and to edify the listener.
With regards to why he chose the stage name Bhila, Manyambi explains to Standard Style that the name was actually his totem, hence it is a name that defines the power of artistic prowess and how he seeks to bring forth a positive difference to society.
“My music pushes for people to have a positive mindset and helps them to make sure that whenever they make decisions they are cautious and make informed decisions. I have received calls from people sharing their life experiences on how my songs have helped them so much, and this has motivated me to create my messages in music which builds and promotes community development,” Bhila said.
He outlined how he worked on his debut album titled Iphephandaba, which is a Ndebele word that literally translates to mean a newspaper.
“Iphephandaba is my first album, but last year l released an EP that had three songs titled impilo which translates to mean life. I am a lover of storytelling, which I believe is the root of all forms of art and expression. I used to do a lot of poems and theatre plays when l was at Midlands State University (MSU) with a theatre club called ‘Wati Wati’. I got fascinated with storytelling which led me to compose the songs which take the resemblance of a collection of articles in a newspaper, hence the reason why I chose the name Iphephandaba for my album,” he said.
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The making of the album was produced by Godwin Smalls, who produced a majority of the songs. Nateoktopus and Sixteen did the remaining song which is a powerful approach which gave variety to the sound and rhythm in the album.
Many musicians tend to limit themselves when it comes to the exploration of sound, but it remains of importance to experiment with different producers so as to give a more diversified eargasm effect.
In this light, the power behind the efficacy of music as a story telling tool is through the ability of the artist to be explorative and to be flexible when it comes to the creation of the music piece. Bhila’s music fuses Ndebele, Zulu and street lingo or slang which enhances the catchiness of his message in the music.
When listening to the album Iphephandaba, which is now streaming on all online platforms, it gives me the feeling of listening to our own “Griot” who takes the role of story teller and praise singer, and is often seen as a leader in a quest to keep the culture and the traditions alive. One of the critical elements is in the fusion of elements of Maskandi with a modern vibe which makes Bhila’s music to be catchy for both the young and the old.
“The song Imbila is inspired by an old folktale story that l used to hear from my grandmother uGogo umaNdlovu. Imbila is a cry to all youths that they should respect, and honour their parents and always ask for guidance so that they don't go astray, the song further states that there is a lot of knowledge that elders have, but you ought to ask them and remain humble,” Manyabi said.
When listening to the song Imbila, it gives out good teachings on how youths should talk to their parents.
“It is God's standing order that they should do so in a respectful manner ngoba Umzali ngu Nkulunkulu wakho wokuqala (the parents are like gods because they are the bringers of life)," he said.
This is a song that has a very deep edutaining effect as it speaks of the criticality of the essence of respect to the elderly, which is something that is lacking among the youth who have become highly radicalised and immoral.
Manyabi also said that the song Inkonjwa highlights the dangers of being a womanizer as it destroys families and it comes with a number of consequences that include illness, death, spiritual ills, bad luck among other factors.
The song is a warning to all womanisers who are potential spreaders of HIV and STIs and the risk of exposure especially among young adolescents. In this song he addresses the now ignored topic of the reality of HIV and its impact on cultural linkages.
“Yekelani is also another very deep and emotional song which seeks to guide those who are in love to do a quick check on whether they are surely dating because they want to, or it's just pressure from parents and society because if you are doing it to please others you will commit into an unhappy marriage that will punish your partner more and lead to depression,” Bhila said.
When listening to it, I am reminded of the common statement we use “Umjolo the pandemic” to mean there are risks and pains when it comes to the issue of love and commitment. The issues of love are factors that have increased GBV and issues of depression and stress.
This song plays a guiding role where the artist uses social commentary to evoke deep thought which is the driving force of creating an impactful song. This also resonates with Ngiyatshela, a deep love song which embraces the power of love.
In the song called GP, Bhila also addresses the story of the reality of many of us in Zimbabwe whereby people go to South Africa in search of greener pastures. The touching element of his song is how he speaks of a father who went to South Africa and never came back.
The song seeks to let all those who left their families and never came back to remember that they are remembered and if possible, they should go back to their families as it is important.
I can also say it also calls for those out of Zimbabwe to help their families through remittances which can be of effect in alleviating the economic challenges.
Cima is a motivational song to all those who are suffering from procrastination to wake up, and eliminate the fear of chasing their dreams.
"Stop seeking validation, go for what you want, don't over think so that you avoid the word “ngabe l did this ngabe l went, ngabe l made the call” to mean if I had done something I could have been great or big. This affects a lot of us and it makes us not to grow and develop in any way," he said.
Mama loBaba is a song that is dedicated to the appreciation of parenthood, and Bhila says he was dedicating this song to his parents and all the parents who show love and support. In essence, some of the songs in the album delve into the depths of spirituality and issues of exploring emotional and mental health.
The challenge right now is the lack of platforms to showcase art, the crumbling economy and that our audience is more focused on South African music. This kills the level of appreciation of the local music and art. There is also need for more funding into music produced by locals so as to ensure that it has an international reach and not be confined in one space.
*Raymond Millagre Langa is musician, poet, orator, independent researcher and founder of Indebo edutainment Trust. You can follow on Face Book @Millagre Ray Langa, on Twitter you can follow on #Millagre Langa, email: [email protected] or [email protected].
