DIVA PAYS TRIBUTE TO MBUYA CHIWESHE
MUSICIAN Memory Chinamasa has paid tribute to late mbira legend, Stella Chiweshe.
Chinamasa, whose stage name is Memo Yaya Saru and performs with the Antique Band said, Mbuya Chiweshe was her inspiration.
She said Yaya means mukoma or sisi in her Jindwi dialect.
“By the way, I am Jindwi from Manicaland. Saru izita rangu,” she said.
“I remember talking to Mbuya Chiweshe when I was doing my dissertation in Music Business, I quoted her saying, ‘I looked at my hand and I saw five fingers and I looked at a man’s hand and I saw five fingers again, then I said to myself, why shouldn’t I play the mbira, because back then, it was just for men’.
“So I saw her as a strong woman and yes, she was a strong woman. I loved her bravery and confidence, which took me long go gain.
“I would always wonder how she made it in a male-dominated industry, worse off during the days that she rose to fame. Female musicians were stereotyped and labelled as loose, zvichingoriko.
“She will be missed dearly, not only in Zimbabwe, but beyond our borders,” said Memory.
Born on December 7, 1981, in Mutare, Memory started her music career in 2010.
“I would perform in and around Mutare before moving to Harare and doing live performances.
“I then joined the Prisons Band and because of my passion for music, I decided to enrol for Music Business, Musicology and Technology degree with MSU. I graduated last year in December,” she said.
Memory said she was also exposed to rural life at a young age.
“I come from Chigodora area close to Vumba, but when we were growing up, our parents would alternate us between Dangamvura in Mutare and our rural home during holidays.
“At one point, I asked my parents to enrol me at a rural school and stay with grandmother where I did my Grade 5 and 6, performing traditional dancing.
“I was shy to dance and opted to do lead vocals before going back to Dangamvura where I joined the school choir in Grade 7,” said Memory.
The songbird said she also learnt at several schools. She did her Form 1 and 2 at Danhiko High School in Harare and Form 3 and 4 at Mutare Girls High School before enrolling at St Mathias Tsonzo for Form 5 and 6.
“I then got married after Form 6,” she said.
“In 1997, I wanted to join the Assegai Crew and approached Brian Nhanhanga, who was the lead guitarist when I was in Form 3.
“Brian came home looking for me to join them, but my father was against the idea.
“My father advised me to focus on education first before pursuing music. He wanted me to pursue music after A Level but I ended up getting married when I was doing A-Level.
“After feeling the need to stay at home and look after my kids, the music passion kept on calling me. That is when I got into music in 2010.”
Memory said she was soldiering on as a single mother.
“I have two daughters aged 22 and 18.
“I am a single mother, as my husband passed away and I have four siblings, one is late.”
“I am a vocalist in the Prisons Band and I am doing my own music with a band called Memo Yaya Saru & The Antique.
Memory said she prefers playing renditions of Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, Leonard Zhakata, Don Williams, Dolly Parton and Gregory lsaacs, who were dad’s favourite although I perform a lot of my unrecorded songs during my shows,” she said.
“Basically, I play traditional music, Afrofusion and western music of the 80s and 90s. As Memo, I have my music too. I recorded a single called
Jongwe Rangu which was recorded by Mono Mukundu.
“It did very well on Classic 263 FM, it was number one for quite a number of weeks. I did another one called
Ndinokusuwa with Oskid, then
Baya with Makumbe Productions,
Maputseni with Mono Mukundu.
Besides music, Memory is also an actress,
“I have acted in the Kuchina drama series and now I have my own page called ‘Yaya Saru’.
“I also acted with the likes of Mai TT, Madam Boss, Bee Wezhira, Mbuya vaPiyason, and Mhosva also known as Mama Vee,” she said.
She also took the opportunity to explain her stage name Yaya Saru.
She also collaborated with Jah Prayzah on a single called Chengetedza Hupenyu in 2013.