AS the country remembers the victims of the August 1, 2018 killings by the military and probing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime for answers, a listen to Winky D’s song Vafarisi with protest undertones evokes pain.
The song speaks of riots, demonstrations and military as well as police brutality which descend on protesters.
The song features Poptain and Bazooka, off the album Eureka Eureka, which saw Winky D having a run-in with authorities who fretted over the social and politically charged lyrics.
On Vafarisi, Winky D relives the August 1 shooting in Harare in a song supposedly a party song.
“Tiri vafarisi, chedu kufara, musatiridzire mabara” aptly translated; as we are only party lovers there is no need to fire bullets at us is the chorus to Winky D’s song Vafarisi off the album Eureka Eureka.
“Vamwe vofarisa vave kufayisa vakavhara chiso kunge Zobho, ndiani iyeye hapana amuziva,” that line could be directed to the infamous member of the army, who was brutally aiming and shooting at unarmed civilians whilst concealing his face with a balaclava.
On the first listen one will quickly dismiss it as a party song, but after the second, third and many interaction with it turns out to be pregnant with political undertones.
Vafarisi sounds more like Gafa Party (Toi Toi), another song which talks of protests (Toi Toi) with shock and replay value.
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Speaking to Standard Style, author and music critic Onai Mushava described Vafarisi as "a Trojan horse."
"'Toi Toi (Gafa Party)' is both a party-song template and an intertextual decoy for the new song. That's what makes 'Vafarisi' dangerous, It's a Trojan horse.
A state-of-the-nation address in every bar, kombi, even boombox-saturated pastures in the countryside. Zexie Manatsa outwitted Rhodesians using bush metaphors and church metaphors. Winky D is saving youth culture from slackness and complacency using its own language," he said.
Six people were fatally shot while scores sustained gunshot wounds after soldiers indiscriminately fired live bullets to disperse protestors from central Harare on August 1 2018 following delays in the announcement of the presidential results.
Protesters had attempted to besiege the election command centre in Harare demanding the release of presidential election results, two days after voting following reports of vote rigging.
A commission of inquiry headed by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe found the military guilty of using unnecessary force and the opposition MDC Alliance of instigating the violence.
Speaking recently on a Twitter Space organised by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, one of the victims' brother said the family was still seeking closure and waiting for authorities to bring the killers to book.
In a statement recently, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum expressed disappointment at how Mnangagwa had dealt with the situation.
“The Forum is aggrieved that five years later, there have been no meaningful attempts or steps taken to genuinely implement the commission's recommendations.”
“As we head for elections, the government must address all hanging issues around the August 1018 killings for its sincerity towards upholding the rule of law to be believed,” it further notes.
The National Transitional Justice Working Group Zimbabwe (NTJWG) called for peace and tolerance in the upcoming elections.
“Having identified these, among many other issues, we see a dangerous situation developing in Zimbabwe. Thus, we call upon the government and leadership of political parties to respect the constitution and work towards safeguarding the fundamental human rights of citizens.
“We recommend the setting up of a high-level inclusive multi-sectoral mediation initiative to assist ZEC in addressing the current situation and ensure all contested issues are ironed out in a way that restores the people’s confidence in the process,” NTJWG said.
