Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Simba Musiyiwa
1 January 2009
Harare — THE curtain came down on the Miss Tourism Zimbabwe 2008 pageant with a colourful after-party concert held at the Harare International Conference Centre on Tuesday.
Revellers had a rare chance to see the giant conference centre filled to capacity with most guests in the VIP area having to stand in the aisles.
The finals confirmed the long-held belief that local musicians have now come of age and are now better performers than most of the foreign groups that are invited to perform as the main acts.
This year's edition featured Kwasa Kwasa legend Kanda Bongo Man as the main act alongside sungura rivals Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo.
Zima award winner Alexio Kawara and Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave warmed the stage with CD playbacks but the real deal was between Tongai and Macheso who had full strength bands.
There was a surprise entertainer from the United States called "Issues" who brought energy on stage with a hip hop performance while an all-male dance group "Magesh" wowed the crowd with their fancy footwork.
Kawara's smash hit -- Shaina -- was a befitting theme song of the evening as fans and contestants alike sang along for the greater part of the show.
The urban groover of the moment, Kawara wowed the crowd with his energetic dances that left his female fans calling for more. After the pageant, Bongo Man took to the stage and gave a spirited performance that left fans reminiscing about his heydays.
Of course, it was clear from the outset that he was the starter as the crowd was clearly salivating for the main course, the sungura duel between Macheso "Extrabasso" and Tongai "Igwee".
Next on stage was Tongai who gave a lively and well-polished performance.
Last on stage was Macheso who gave his trademark superb performance complete with a dance drama for his monster hit Shedia.
Many in the crowd were already groggy with sleep, and thumbs-up to Macheso for getting some on their feet.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
