Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Trust Khosa
10 January 2009
Harare — THE unofficial contest between sungura rivals Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo at the 2008 Miss Tourism finale showed that it might be a lifetime for the two to become friends despite attempts by stakeholders to have them mend bridges.
Going into the event at the Harare International Conference Centre on December 30, there was an understanding that Tongai would play one of his hits, Samanyemba, and at some stage during the song Macheso would go on stage and take over the lead guitar from his rival.
Macheso was expected to play one of his hits, Charakupa, and at some stage Tongai would join him on stage and take over the bass guitar from his rival.
Tongai was the first on stage but when he played Samanyemba, Macheso did not join him on stage and he went on to complete his slot without his rival ever pitching up.
Some of Tongai's fans, who took every opportunity to have a go at Macheso, declared the event closed once their hero left the stage.
When his turn came, Macheso did not even play Charakupa and he went on to complete his slot without Tongai joining him on stage - that is if he was still around!
Instead he played Murume, taken off his latest album Ndezvashe-eh, and it's one song that Macheso's fans use to take a dig at Tongai with lyrics like:
". . . bvunza Dhewa kuti Macheso akapenga sei . . . bvunza Dhewa kuti razor wire inocheka sei . . . bvunza Dhewa kuti makorokoza anowanikwepi . . . Dhewa ndimahobho . . . "
It is an unfortunate reality that the rivalry is now virtually in the hands of fans who will, no doubt, make it very difficult for the Macheso and Tongai to iron out whatever differences there are.
When you talk to either musician they start by declaring that they have no problems sharing the stage and exchanging guitars but the longer you dwell on the subject, the clearer it gets that it might be a mission impossible.
There is a lack of trust in either camp and you suspect there is more to the rivalry than meets the eye or what has been said in public.
Numerous efforts have been made to try and get Macheso and Tongai to bury the hatchet but this has so far yielded nothing mainly because neither party accepts blame for any role in the "feud".
Most of the issues seem to arise from hearsay - Macheso and Tongai get information about what happens in the other camp from band members, friends and fans and it seems to be one source of the rivalry that has unfortunately dictated the contents of their music.
Macheso this week admitted that there are some people who have created the so-called "Sungura War" that appears to have taken a new turn with the release of Tongai's Muridzi Wenyaya believed to be a response to Macheso's 2007 album, Ndezvashe-e!
For instance, towards the end of the track, Chikopokopo, taken off Macheso's Ndezvashe-eh, Jonasi Kasamba says:
"Musavhundutsirwe nezizi kuti rine nyanga, hadzisi nyanga, inzeve."
In what is viewed as a direct response, Tongai had this to say towards the end of his track, Temberi Yashe, off his latest album.
"Ini ndinoziva wani kuti zizi harine nyanga asi kuti rakamhara pamusoro penyanga . . ."
Macheso said he was willing to share the stage with Tongai but on condition that such an occasion is not treated as a contest.
"I don't have a problem working with Tongai but there are some things that I need to be addressed first before we can work together.
"One thing that I would like to bring to the fore is that people should simply treat us as artistes and not rivals as is the case at the moment. Being the mature person that I am, I have read a lot about my alleged rift with Tongai but I can safely say I don't take that seriously," he said.
Unfortunately, the two artistes have no control over what their fans think or how they behave and it is inevitable that once they share the stage, it's treated as a clash.
"As for those that might want to compare us, I can advise them to judge us through our works," he explained.
Later in the interview, Macheso accused his rival Tongai of fuelling the feud citing some of the remarks he made a day before he launched his latest album at Sports Diner saying they were bound to divide fans.
"Over the years, some artistes, for instance Macheso, have been calling themselves the kings (of sungura) saying 'others follow', but life can change one day and tables will be turned," Tongai was quoted as saying.
Judging by this quote, Macheso explained, their rift has since widened and efforts to mend it have been dented.
"You see, I want this talk to become a thing of the past and enable a good working environment. Manje kana tichishandana zvakadai tingashanda seyi nhayi vehama?" he asked.
In another interview, Tongai accuses his counterpart of paying attention to some rumour-mongers.
"Alick (Macheso) and myself are mature people, and this talk must come to an end. The only problem with him (Macheso) is that he appears a good person in public but he says bad things about me.
"During my illness, he said so many things but I have kept them to myself. When I lost a band member he said a lot of bad things but I still respect him. Recently when I bought a new car he was at it again."
"But being a professional, I have learnt to forgive him. I still respect him even if he continues saying bad things about me," he said.
As a way forward, Tongai said he has approached Macheso's management with a view to holding live shows together.
"I always talk to Gina (William Tsandukwa) giving him ideas that we hold our own shows because people now want value for their money.
"If I may tell you, our crowds -- both from Macheso and Tongai -- have dwindled and it's high time we resort to joint shows here and there. Gone are the days when we could play before more than 1 000 people. Macheso is also facing the same fate," he said. However, Tongai said he would not beg Macheso to work together if he was not willing.
"If he refuses to take my advice, I will still continue but time has come that we work together," he said.
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.
