911 Band crowned 2023 Chibuku Road to Fame winners

Philemon Jambaya

The 23rd edition of the Chibuku Road to Fame competition was held on Saturday at Takashinga Cricket Club in Highfield, Harare. The competition is a collaborative effort between the sole sponsor Delta Beverages through its Chibuku brand and the arts mother body, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.

This year’s competition was held under the theme Imba Tinzwe, Cula Sizwe Super Star. The competition started at provincial level and winners from the country’s 10 provinces competed at national level for a monetary prize, plus a fully-paid recording contract.

The competition featured a variety of genres, including Afro fusion, sungura, mbira, Zimdancehall and jazz. The provincial representatives at the national finals were:

Afro fusion band Mazwi (Harare)

Mbira music outfit Deze raWasu (Manicaland)

Jazz Band Visionaries (Mashonaland West)

Afro jazz outfit Royal Band (Bulawayo)

Sungura Ensemble Gutu Stars (Masvingo)

Dancehall outfit Famous Mighty Boys (Mashonaland East) Sungura band Ziyaduma Express (Matabeleland South) Afro-fusion band Hi-Five (Mashonaland Central)

Afro fusion band Kweseka (Matabeleland North)

After a thrilling competition, AFRO FUSION group 911 Band from Midlands Province proved their mettle against nine other provincial finalists to emerge this year’s Chibuku Road to Fame champions. For their efforts, 911 Band pocketed US$15 000 plus a lucrative recording contract that will fund the recording of their debut album and its launch.

The competition also featured performances from sungura maestro Alick Macheso, songbird Feli Nandi, dancehall singer Tocky Vibes and Chillspot Family.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Delta Corporation general manager corporate affairs Patricia Murambinda said: “We are very excited to celebrate the 23rd edition of the Chibuku Road to Fame which was launched in 2000.

“We used to support sungura for almost 22 years and this year, we have introduced hip-hop and Zimdancehall because things have changed. The music industry has transformed. There are new genres coming up and we felt it was time to showcase those genres,” said Murambinda.

The Chibuku Road to Fame competition is a valuable platform for emerging musicians to showcase their talents and compete for a chance to win a recording contract and a monetary prize. The competition has helped to launch the careers of many successful Zimbabwean musicians, including Romeo Gasa, Simon Mutambi among other great artist