Clive Malunga resurfaces

One of the country’s top music promoter, Clive Malunga, famed for his Jenaguru Music Festival, is bouncing back with a new set of songs which he is launching next month in South Korea and Japan respectively.

While for close to a decade, Malunga’s music has been silent on radio and television, he says he has been working behind the scenes and training children at his Jenaguru Arts Centre in Harare.

The Nesango hit-maker and award-winning musician was among the top producers in the country shooting one of the country’s best videos in Nesango which resembled a war scene during the liberation struggle.

Malunga also produced the video and music of the late Sekuru Gora and in particular the popular Kufa Kwangu Zvarova.

More importantly Malunga is well known for coordinating one of the biggest music festivals in the 2000s — Jenaguru Music Festival — which was launched at the Harare Gardens followed in later years at Gwanzura Stadium in Highfiled.

Jenaguru Music Festival used to feature more than 40 local music bands on a single day with the likes of Thomas Mapfumo and the late Simon Chimbetu among some of the regular top musicians.

Malunga also built Jenaguru Arts Centre in Harare where he records and produces music.

The Daily News caught up with the singer and composer, who revealed that he had decided to withdraw his music from Zimbabwe while working on a new sound.

Malunga said he had found better support in countries such as South Korea and Japan where he will launch his next album.

“I will be launching an album in South Korea first in June and then in Japan again the same month. What I want to say about that album is that I have a new type of sound. But still using the mbira, hosho, ngorombe and ngoma. It will be launched in those countries because that’s where it’s being produced and that’s where I have better support,” Malunga said.

“We sell the albums there for $20 a copy because they offer protection in terms of piracy. Here the government just talks about it but there is no action. I have withdrawn my music here and I am not going to be selling it here.

“I have been working on this sound for a long time, I wasn’t happy with my old sound, even though I produced good videos. So I have been working on the new sound for a while.

“So, on the new album I got the hosho player from the Air Force Band.

And from the mbira we have a sound that sounds like the bass and other sounds. It is really different.”

Malunga will also be touring for a month in South Korea and Japan with school children who are part of the Jenaguru music and dance group.

The group is formed under the Jenaguru Arts Centre, that used to host the Jenaguru Festival.

Malunga termed his traditional music genre Jenaguru. The genre is endowed with Shona culture depicted in traditional dances like chikende, shangara, dinhe, mbakumba, hoso, pfonda and mhande among other dances.

Malunga cut his niche in music in 1986 with his debut album entitled Marimba Jive and on the album the artiste was backed by Black Eagles.

The veteran Jenaguru artiste has more 11 albums in his career and some of the albums which did well on the market are Nesango, Sauramba, Marujata and Rudia.

He also lobbied the University of Zimbabwe to award Thomas Mapfumo with an honorary degree and also erect a statue for the Chimurenga music guru along Harare’s 1st Street. Daily News