Macheso and the slow death of sungura

By Bruce Ndlovu

Over the last few months, all eyes have been on sungura star Alick Macheso’s camp, as fans and critics alike wait for the latest release from a man who has been at the top of Zimbabwean music for almost two decades.

Macheso’s reign has been long and imperious, outlasting and outmanoeuvring all comers in the last few years. This has been especially so since the death of the man who was thought to be his closest challenger to the sungura throne, Tongai Dhewa Moyo.

As a brand, Macheso is still as compelling as ever. Only those who live with their ears closed to the world can claim that they have never heard of the sungura star or his intoxicating brand of music.

The promise of a Macheso album release still brings excitement to his fans and grabs even the attention of those that do not count themselves among his legion of followers.

Despite the fact that his last few efforts have been seen largely as hit and miss, Macheso’s next album seems to be as anticipated as ever. Macheso as a brand has clearly not been dented by the lean patch that has seen the veteran sungura star fail to produce any notable hits over the last few years.

Nama and other award nominations have dried up as the likes of Jah Prayzah strengthen their hold on the local music scene. With a fresh crop of young stars mushrooming in other genres, Macheso is fighting a lone war for sungura, keeping the genre relevant especially when he threatens to release a new album.

However, over six years since the death of Dhewa, it is perhaps telling that there has not been another musician to rise up and challenge the elder statesman at the high table of a genre that used to be the most popular in the country.

While there is always talented bubbling under the local music scene, sungura’s greatest failing has been the failure to give birth to another star that can rival the appeal or star power of Extra Basso, as Macheso is popularly known.

For any genre to survive there needs to be constant renewal and influx of new talent with new ideas. This is what has been lacking with sungura over the past few years.

The search for the next sungura star has been a long and fruitless one, and with the lack of new voices to push it forward, the genre has struggled to compete with its siblings in the family of Zimbabwean genres.

With a lack of innovation, the genre has stagnated, and many have begun to wonder if a single star can keep the world of sungura alight. The emergence of Zimdancehall has for a long time been cited as one of the reasons of why sungura is now failing to shine, as it instead continues to bask in the glory of its past greatness. While the likes of Peter Moyo and Sulumani Chimbetu are stars in their own right, one could argue that their success is reliant on remaining faithful to formulas that were cooked up by their fathers.

There is little, if any, innovation that they have contributed to the local music scene on their own. Perhaps the lack of competition may have contributed towards Macheso slow march towards mediocrity. The erstwhile sungura’s approach towards releasing new music may be an indication of the fact that he no longer feels the heat from the rest of the field, releasing albums as and when he wants while the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi continue to release albums every other year.

“Macheso has self-actualised and the delays should be more to do with that sense of comfort that comes with the realisation that you have reached your apex. Yes, there is a whole world to conquer, but he remains buoyed by his rich discography,” said local music critic, Takemore Mazuruse.

When the albums eventually come, they are tame efforts that have seen harsh critics observe that Macheso is now a pale shadow of his former self.

His upcoming release, like the album before it, has been the subject of numerous postponements while Macheso indulges fans with renditions of yet to be released songs at his live shows. As exciting as that is for fans, the effect of exposing these songs to the public before they are out is that the albums feel watered down when they are eventually released.

An example of this was songs like Gungwa and Wandirangaridza from Tsoka Dzerwendo. As sungura fans await yet another Macheso release, it remains to be seen if his latest offering will halt the genre’s slide towards death, or only accelerate its march towards a painful demise. The Sunday News