How lockdown turned cop into musician

By Bruce Ndlovu

The start of Covid-19 inspired lockdowns around the globe came with a lot of negative repercussions for musicians.

For many, it meant their most reliable stream of income, live shows, were now off the table, bringing with it an unwelcome wave of financial insecurity.

Without any income, some have plunged into depression and stopped creating music altogether.

For one Constable Trust Chikabwe, the lockdown has had the opposite effect, inspiring him to get in front of a microphone and record an album that he has been threatening since he had an initial interest in music back in 2015.

“I started getting into the spirit of recording music at the beginning of the lockdown and it was mostly inspired by my brother. As people that spend a lot of time together, I would join in when he was making music because that’s all that we did. He would let me do the sungura version of the songs that he made and that is how I got the ball rolling,” Chikabwe told Sunday Life.

It took a global pandemic for Chikabwe, a police officer for 11 years, to finally nurture a gift that he kept secret from the world for five years.

“My interest in music started back in 2015 when I started staying with my brother. I was forced into doing backing vocals for him. Before I knew it, I was also hooked. One thing that I love about music is how it allows you to pass your message easily. It is a very useful medium,” he said.

Chikabwe said music had given him an outlet to vent about a lot of societal issues, including personal issues that affected him directly.

“I sing a lot about love, culture and social issues. Most of the music is in Shona and Tonga. In fact, if I do one track in Shona, I will do a corresponding one in Tonga. Most of my friends in the force are from Binga so they enjoy listening to music in their home language.

“The song Muzukuru Simba is a dedication to my sister and I wanted it to be a lesson to her. She was left by a man who got her pregnant and I wanted to tell her that it is not the end of the world. In the song I pledge to take care of the child and that is what I will do,” he said.
Chikabwe’s passion for music had not gone unnoticed by his superiors, he told Sunday Life.

“I have had a lot of support from my superior at work, Inspector Tichaona Bunzawabaya. He has been with me throughout the process and even when I go to shoot videos, he is the one that scouts out the good locations. I have also been encouraged by Chief Inspector Susan Matsheza.

So far, we have managed to do four videos as things stand. I have also got a lot of support from my family,” he said. The Sunday News