Gary remixes Mukanya’s song

By Vasco Chaya

Chimurenga music icon, Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo, has endorsed rising musician Gary Tight by giving him rights to remix one of his all-time hits, Vanhu Vatema.

Speaking through his publicist Blessing Vava, the legendary musician is glad to see the rookie artistes following giant footsteps.

“We gave him (Tight) the permission to use the song Vanhu Vatema. You know, it’s encouraging to see young musicians like Gary redoing classics from yesteryear, for his age to appreciate such music it shows he is in the right direction,” Vava said.

Ironically, Vanhu Vatema was released in 1994, the same year when Gary Tight was born.

Mukanya first endorsed Tight early this year when he invited him to perform as his supporting act during his Home Coming Show in April at Glamis Arena, Harare.

He even went on to invite Tight again to be part of his South Africa tour in September. However, the tour was cancelled at 11th hour following some disagreements between Chimurenga Music Company and promoters.

Like his oft-competitor Oliver Mtukudzi, Mapfumo has a soft spot for the greenhorns.

This comes after Mapfumo has chosen little known musicians to support him during the December Peace Tour in Zimbabwe as part of his efforts to promote youngsters.

The tour will see him showcasing in the following places: Gweru on December 7, Bulawayo on December 8, Beitbridge on December 14, Masvingo December 15, Mutare December 21, Kadoma December 22, Karimba on December 25, Victoria Falls on December 28 and Harare on December 31.

“This has been necessitated by Mapfumo’s wish to support upcoming musicians, and giving a chance to those musicians based in the hosting towns to showcase their act,” Chimurenga publicist Blessing Vava said.

“Our target is not the so-called big artistes. I should emphasise that this is a tour for those without the opportunity, those who are side-lined and those without names.”

However, Mukanya’s critics view this stance as not only meant to promote youngsters but also to consolidate his position as the father of Chimurenga music in the country.

This, his adversaries say, will be made possible by the fact that the green horn artists that make his accompanying cast will offer no meaningful competition to Hurricane Hugo — as Mapfumo is fondly known to his legion of fans. Daily News