Published by the government of Zimbabwe
30 December 2008
Harare — Mgarimbe, one of South Africa's top kwaito acts, says the genre will stand the test of time despite a threat from House music that's taking over in most parts of that country, writes Jonathan Mbiriyamveka.
The Durban-born musician said kwaito had its roots in the ghettos and had become a culture.
"Kwaito will never die for as long as there is Soweto and other ghettos. Just like hip-hop, kwaito is not only a lifestyle, but also a culture. What people see and hear in our music is real," Mgarimbe said.
In an interview recently during his first ever tour of Zimbabwe, the Sister Bertina hit-maker expressed confidence that kwaito was here to stay despite a shift to House music.
"What is happening to kwaito is a pointer to the whole industry (music). There has been a plunge in business because of downloads, but everybody now is struggling because business had gone down, and again with the DJs taking over live performances from artistes it can only get worse," Mgarimbe said.
In South Africa, deejaying has become the in-thing with most promoters opting for DJs rather than performing artistes. "Before I came into music, I was Mandoza's big fan and I still am but there are times that you want to go out and see the artistes live on stage. Nothing beats a live performance because artistes bring a new feel and energy on stage," he said.
Mgarimbe, whose real name is Nkosinathi Mfeka, urged Zimbabweans to support their local talent.
"I'm happy that I got massive support from home fans. That is what it should be. First and foremost, home support is important, a musician should not be big outside his or her own country like what happened to Miriam Makeba.
"She was big outside, but we never knew her back home and perhaps that's why she died outside the country. She was never booked in South Africa because more often than not she was performing outside the country. All I'm saying is we don't want to end up donating to assist any musician's funeral," Mgarimbe said.
He, together with Mugwanti wa Pitori of Avocado fame, and Tenny T performed in Harare. Fans were thrilled to see Mgarimbe belt the hit song Sister Bertina while Mugwanti wa Pitori also injected frenzy into the crowd with an amazing delivery on the mic.
The tour, dubbed "The 3Day Tour", was organised by Natcaz, So So Deff and DJ D-Nosh.
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