Chibage takes over at Mashakada funeral

Richmore Tera recently in Chinhoyi

Memories of the late musician Cephas Mashakada who passed away on Tuesday last week were revived on stage when his group – The Muddy Face Band – staged a polished act on the day of his burial at his rural home Chitambo in Chinhoyi.

Led by Shemu Mashonganyika, popularly known as “Chibage”, the group played some of the late musician’s hit songs like “Samson” that made Mashakada a household name.

“Chibage” proved that he is a natural replacement to Mashakada with a voice that sounds exactly like that of the late bulky musician while one member played the lead guitar in a way reminiscent to Mashakada’s strumming skills.

People burst into dance as the group played and what an emotional moment it was when many were reminded of the good old times when Mashakada was still alive and entertaining them. The Muddy Face will soldier on despite losing its leader, the late Mashakada, according to one of the leading members of the group.

“Chibage” said this during Mashakada’s funeral wake at his Unit B home in Chitungwiza. “Yes, it is going to take us a long time for the pain to leave our hearts, but we will move on without him.

“If you recall well, he (Mashakada) once equated the Muddy Face Band to Dynamos Football Club which was established a long time ago but still moves on despite losing some of its best players,” “Chibage” said.

“Chibage” also said Mashakada’s widow Eunice would manage the group. “His wife will be our manager and we will definitely soldier on. He passed away at a time when we were in the process of compiling a new album. We are going to add a few songs and then record it,” he said.

“Chibage”, who doubles as a backing vocalist and dancer in the Muddy Face Band, at one time stood in for Mashakada on the lead vocals at a time when the musician went down with diabetes in 2006.

During this period, many people thought that the band would disband but that was not the case as they held shows while their leader was recovering.

“We will remain intact and Mai Mashakada is behind us. She said we should keep on with the work that her late husband had been doing and we hope that Mashakada’s spirit will always be there to guide us,” “Chibage” said.

He said the band members had come to take the late musician as their brother. “We looked up to him like an elder brother. People never knew that he was my boss. They thought we were blood brothers because of the way he treated us. “He was sociable,” he said.

“Chibage” recalls the time when Mashakada gave him the go-ahead to record his own solo album. “Mudhara gave me the green light to record my album. He was not jealous of the talents that his band members had. He also supported me on my second solo album due for release anytime soon,” he said.