Cde Chinx: Celebrating the epistemic gratuities of the Chimurenga music Part 1
A few weeks back I used Mbira Dzenharira’s song Magamba as a point of reference to explain how this country was born out of the second liberation war of 1965 and how the perennial sacrifices of this struggle were inspired by the 1896 Chimurenga. However, the historical capture of this view is selectively — if not deliberately oblivious of other prior Zvimurenga which produced the nascent cradles of this country’s journey to self-determination and its anti-imperialism journey. In light of this perspective, those well acquainted in the history of this country beyond the given of the mainstream historiography would recall the 1629 Munhumutapa State uprising (Mudenge 1988). This reflects that the quest for liberation of this country is as old as our first contact with colonial domination. Needless to mention the diverse material inputs ceded to the recent struggle for independence by many sons and daughters of the soil it would be irrational for one to ignore the function of ideology and the forces which helped to construct the ideology of our struggle. In fact, the fight against colonialism was an ideological contest. To this effect Achille Mbembe (2001) states that:
“The notion “postcolony” identifies specifically a given historical trajectory— that of societies recently emerging from the experience of colonisation and the violence which the colonial relationship involves. To be sure, the postcolony is chaotically pluralistic; it has nonetheless an internal coherence. It is a specific system of signs, a particular way of fabricating simulacra or re-forming stereotypes.”
It is of paramount of importance — if not pivotal to underscore the fact that the second armed struggle for liberation would have not reached the peak of its fruition had it not been for the epistemic deposits invested for the cause of uhuru.
This is further articulated in an obituary dedicated to the psalmist of the Chimurenga, Cde Dickson Chingaira by Reason Wafawarova (2017) who observes that:
“We have come all the way from the heroism of Herbert Chitepo, the radicalism of Edgar Tekere, the witty pride of Edison Zvobgo, the political fatherliness of Joshua Nkomo, the intellectual prowess of Herbert Chitepo, the shrewdness and fluency of Robert Mugabe, the bravery of Josiah Magama Tongogara and Lookout Masuku; down to the despicable fluent intellectual foolishness of tweeting professors, as well as to the sheer madness of fat kid thugs masquerading as the custodians of the structures and strength pillars of the liberation movement itself, even deriding war veterans in the process.”
This historical retrospect indicates that our “struggle to be free” has also been a struggle of stubborn ideological consistency by its generational stalwarts. In that regard, it is worth mentioning that the late singer of the Second and Third Chimurenga, Cde Chingaira was an epitome of the lasting values of the Chimurenga which are also aptly captured in cardinal teachings of one Zanla song which he, Cde Chinx helped to popularise, “Nzira dzemasoja: Kunenzira dzemasoja dzekuzvibata nadzo; Tererai mutemo yose nenzira dzakanaka.
. . . taurai zvinetsika kuruzhinji kuti vazvinzvisise zvakananga musangano.
. . . tisaite zvehupombwe pahondo yeChimurenga
(There is a fundamental trajectory which is compulsory conduct for freedom fighters. Cautiously abide to the maxims of the struggle for freedom.
. . . virtuously disseminate the tenets of the struggle for the masses so that they sufficiently comprehend the projections of the liberation movement.
. . . let us shun all promiscuity in the struggle for Chimurenga) Nzira dzemasoja and many other “Songs which Won the Liberation-War” (Pongweni 1982) — not to mention other songs which Cde Chinx sang during his tenure as a Zanla musical combatant substantiate the magnanimous effect of music in giving logical justifications to our liberation struggle. In fact, this music informed the “thought-power” of the liberation struggle. To this end, Cde Chinx prophesied his everlasting loyalty to the struggle as was confirmed by the time he was promoted to glory a few days back, “. . . kufa kuchiuya nhasi ndotambira nenhengo dzese dzemuviri wangu”.
This view is confirmed by how Chinx unlike his other musical contemporaries remained consistent in his musical dissemination of the Chimurenga gospel. This is why he was at the fore of promoting the land reform programme when musicians like Thomas Mapfumo assumed a neo-liberal revulsion of the Government’s agenda of liberating the agrarian economy. This way it was clear that the pen writing Chinx’s music was permanently inked by the “Nzira dzemasoja” philosophy. This precisely coincided with Simon Chimbetu’s observation on how the post-colonial state still needed to be guided by genuine liberation values. According to Chimbetu this could be only possible if custodians of the Chimurenga –in this case, freedom fighters like Chinx were at the forefront of fighting neo-colonialism:
Dzorerai simba regamba mundima, ndima iyo iye ichigere kupera.
Dzorerai rudo tiwadzane Mwari. Dzorerai rudo kuvana vevatema
Wedzerai simba Jehova wehondo mudunhu rechipikirwa Zimbabwe
(Restore the sanguine legitmacy of the freedom fighter, the struggle is not yet over. Bring the love back dear God. Bring back the love to the black people.
Give us more power in our Promised Land Zimbabwe). According to Chinx the success of this anti-neo-colonial project could only be achieved through pan-Africanism: Vanhu vose vemuno mu Africa tamirira kuchipedzisa zvehutongi wemaunze rufu. Ayo akaunza rufu dai tachibatana tikurire hee unza rufu.
Ngatisimudzire mbiri dzeruzhinji rwenyika ino.
(All descendants of Africa (home and abroad) await the end of an era of the makers of our catastrophic demise. Those malicious makers of our catastrophic demise! we must unite to conquer the makers of our catastrophic demise. Let us restore the grandeur of this land.)
The lyrics of this song are evidence of the extent to which Cde Chinx’s music transcended nationalist limitations. His passion for independence was pan-African, he was a decolonial musical combatant. He is an epitome consistency and a pure reflection of loyalty to the republic; thus when others chose to sing and write in opposition to the land reform programme Chinx praised the exercise. This is amply explained by how he was at the core of guiding national values through the power of melody at the galas which informed what Welliam and NdlovuGatsheni (2008) mordantly nicknamed “commemorative nationalism”. In my view, Chinx’s “musical nationalism” radically propelled the agenda of liberating the land from Rhodesians during the popular hondo yeminda era. This was Chinx proved his undying sincerity to the cause of his involvement in the armed struggle as he was also sincere to the overall aspirations of African independence — writ large economic independence.
While many among the survivors of the Chimurenga(s) compete to prove how their involvement to the armed struggle was more critical than that of others, it is unquestionable the struggle to liberate Zimbabwe from was multifaceted and the protracted wages of this struggle were likewise diverse. They are those who gave the much needed man-power to the struggle in as much as there are those who provided the relevant thought-power of the struggle. Cde Chinx remains a significant software stalwart of the Chimurenga.
This is because the message in Cde Chinx’s music is an indispensable element of Zimbabwe’s timeless political and socioeconomic culture. The lyrical wealth of Cde Chinx’s music did not only sustain the ideological bedrock of our struggle, but his music offers a permanent reflection of our past and our perennial interrogation of the “coloniality of power and being”.
Surely there is no amount of myth no propaganda that will erase the heroic magnitude of Chinx’s construction of Zimbabwe’s anti-colonial political culture through music.
To be continued. IT IS surprising us so much that although a lot of people have openly confessed publicly that they are practising witchcraft in Zimbabwe we are yet to see a single person who has been arrested since witchcraft involves the killing of innocent people.
In the past we used to have the controversial Witchcraft and Suppression Act where it was an offence to point your finger at another person accusing that person of being a witch.
That was not good in a country like Zimbabwe as it was protecting these merciless witches.
This was a subject for discussion in Parliament on many occasions and almost all legislators agreed to abolish the law. Now we are very shocked to see that cases of people bewitching their relatives and neighbours are on the increase in all parts of the country and we are appealing to the authorities to make sure that everyone who is practising witchcraft is arrested and charged because there is no difference between witchcraft and murder.
Recently a lot of people have been confessing on the national radio stations and on social media where they said they have caused some deaths of many people.
We were even shocked as a nation to hear that some people are keeping some huge and poisonous snakes which are causing some illnesses or deaths of their relatives and neighbours.
As we speak we have got some reports in the Kwayedza and the Manica Post newspapers in which some pythons are terrorising teachers, pupils and villagers of Rukweza Primary and secondary schools in Rusape in Manicalalnd Province.
The snakes are reported to be eating sadza and bones which are left over by the villagers. It means all these are acts of witchcraft since we have never heard about snakes and pythons which eat sadza.
We appeal to the Government that whoever is found to be responsible of these snakes is not only fined but is sent to jail to deter other would-be witches.
Parliamentarians should quickly abolish the Witchcraft and Suppression Act because it was introduced during the colonial regime as a way to undermine our beautiful customs.
Now some people are found in possession of brand new American dollars which are running into millions of dollars believed to be brought to them by snakes at night. Eddious Masundire -Shumba and Kingstone Kwembeya, Mutare.