Is it a case of a prophet not celebrated by his own?

Garikai Mazara

My first time in Bulawayo, I was in transit to Victoria Falls, so I never got to feel it.

Those were the days of Blue Arrow, so we dropped off from the Harare bus and were given, must have been half-an-hour or so, to freshen up and get on the Vic Falls one.

It was the same routine on our way back. But no so long after, I would be back in the country's second largest city. So for almost 23 years now, I have been to Bulawayo countless times.

What has not helped matters is that the other half of my marital family is resident all over that city, which makes it a second home.

Over those years of travelling to the city, what I have found disconcerting is how they idolize "Harare" music (and culture). If it's not Harare, it has to be South Africa.

For fear of being labelled a tribalist, I didn't use "Shona" music. From Gwabalanda to Hillside, every other corner blares Macheso, Tongai Moyo, Mtukudzi or in the rarest occasion, Mapfumo.

If they tire of that, they mix with amapiano. Not their amapiano but South African amapiano.

Recently I was there and decided to find out what has been happening to the city's night life. Started off at Shisha Nightclub and Harare music was all over.

Having gone there a week after Trade Fair, I wasn't sure if some of the empty clubs that I came across was because of the fatigue from the week-long trade exhibition or because we were facing back to school.

So it was either Harare music or empty night places. And this was a Friday!

Bulawayo is supposed to be the cultural hub of the southern half of the country and they should be promoting culture which obtains in that part of the country. Instead they see it fit to help promote culture from the northern half of the country.

Good music is good music. You can get to Muzarabani and hear DT Bio's Kujatajata (the Tonga song) blaring from speakers. But chances are, you are not going to spend the whole afternoon listening to Tonga music.

Dumi Ngulube, may his soul continue to rest in peace, left Bulawayo for Harare. Sandra Ndebele at one time left the city for Harare. And their hatred of their artistes is so on record that Lovemore Majaivana had to leave not only the city and country but music completely🤔.

So what's wrong with Bulawayo? Is it the music? Is it the consuming public?

But if you listen to "their" music, they have rich cultural and artistic styles. Ndux Malax, Solomon Skuza, Black Umfolozi and Fanyana Dube are names that quickly spring to mind. Besides music, most artistic productions from Bulawayo are world-class, reason why Iyasa is always on tour in Europe.

Even their television shows were captivating. Izolo Yizolo and Amakorokoza easily come to mind. The same can be said of their theatrical shows.

So, ufanani nghi abantu voBulawayo? We can't all be in Harare.

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