Kwekwe was a hive of activity on Saturday when several musicians, Government officials, relatives and friends turned up in numbers to celebrate the life of the late musician Bob Nyabinde.
The memorial service also coincided with the launch of the late musician's book penned by journalist Munyaradzi Huni. Later in the day, music fans were treated to a concert held in Nyabinde's honour.
Nyabinde affectionately known as "The Headmaster," in music circles, died on December 24, 2023, and was buried at his rural home in Kwekwe.
Kwekwe was the venue for all the three activities which were packed in a single day, probably to accommodate family, friends, and colleagues, who had travelled from all corners of Zimbabwe to celebrate the life of the late crooner.
The memorial service started at 9 am and ran till lunchtime.
During the memorial service, speaker after speaker spoke highly of the late Nyabinde, describing him as a humble person, who was always keen to assist fellow musicians.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe was represented by Josiah Kusena, the acting director, while the Government was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Nicholas Moyo, and Dr Biggie Samwanda, the director of arts in the same ministry.
Speaking at the event, the guest of honour, Moyo described Nyabinde as humble, adding that the late musician was always willing to work with other artistes for the development of the arts sector. Moyo added that Zimbabwe boasts of talented artistes, whose works should be curated by building museums in their honour, to ensure that their legacy lives on once they are gone.
"One musician who fits the bill to have a museum built in his honour is Tuku. I recently had a discussion with Mono Mukundu and Daisy Mtukudzi on the possibility of building a museum for the late Oliver Mtukudzi."
Speaking on the same occasion, wife of Tuku, Daisy described the late Bob Nyabinde as a loving person.
She also praised the act of love displayed by Nyabinde's daughters-in-law to Nyabinde's family and friends.
"I don't know how these girls were raised," said Daisy about the Nyabinde daughters-in-law.
"Their handling of Nyabinde's illness was an act of love and well thought out, looking at their youthful ages."
Meanwhile, the book launch was a formal occasion that attracted a large crowd and was expertly planned. Turning to the book titled "The Headmaster with a Guitar," Moyo implored other artistes to pen their memoirs and books for posterity.
"This is not merely a book release, but a fresh phase in transforming the narrative of the Zimbabwe arts sector."
Huni, the book's author, acknowledged the project's zero-budget completion.
The author and music promoter Josh Hozheri were responsible for covering all expenses associated with writing the book, which included travelling to Mutare and Kwekwe to conduct interviews with Nyabinde's friends, family, and former co-workers.
"What Hozheri did not tell you is that there was no budget for the book's writing."
"But because Bob was such a lovely guy, we both sacrificed to finance it," said Huni.
Hozheri, a close friend of Nyabinde came up with the idea of writing a book shortly after Nyabinde suffered a stroke two years prior.
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"A biography of Bob (Nyabinde) is something I wanted us to do, but I'm not a writer--my only skill is hanging posters for events. I therefore spoke to Munyaradzi, because he is a prolific and seasoned writer. I am happy everything went according to plan," said Hozheri. Later in the day, the same group of people moved to Kwa "Gulez Nightclub," where a concert was held in Nyabinde's honour.
Several musical bands from Kwekwe warmed up the stage to several musicians, who took turns to entertain music fans, whose numbers swelled as the day progressed.
Steve Makoni, the Marabi king, Kireni Zulu, Agga Nyabinde, and Victor Kunonga put up a good show and serenaded music lovers who danced well into the night.
Other artistes who were in attendance included Sam Mataure and Mono Mukundu who joined other artistes on stage.
