Cde Chinx: Ode to one gone too soon

THE dead only know one thing — it is better to be alive! In the realm of life, they fulfil their ambitions, get to admire the results of their hard work and ultimately, see others they inspired trail their footprints, or otherwise.

After the assassination of Thomas Sankara in 1987, Burkinabe poet Amadi Aboubakar said: “Those we love are dying so soon and leaving too quickly.” This perfectly fits into Cde Dick ‘Chinx’ Chingaira’s absence.

The musician shall be dearly missed. He has done the dying, and we are doing the living. His death is a sermon to the living.

Cde Chinx’s death pricked hearts of Zimbabweans, who support the governing party, and those whose faith is in the opposition political class. We are not unmindful of the fact that every Zimbabwean is a beneficiary of the late liberation hero’s desire, determination and longing against a global imperial order that has since threatened the sovereignty of the motherland. The late liberation hero keenly took part in political activities that won over those sections of the population whose existence were in danger.

Speakers gave their eulogies, but only one raised a lot of questions about how else the history of Zimbabwe is going to be relayed, now that the wordsmith of revolutionary songs has vanished.

“Nothing can carry the history of a country, through generations, better than a song,” said the chairman of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Cde Chris Mutsvangwa.

Zimbabweans across the globe should pose, reflect and honour those that have sacrificed for the very freedoms enjoyed today. In this diversity, we might never agree always but we are united in a shared history of the blood that was shed so that we can all defend the motherland.

Now that Cde Chinx is no more, who is going to fill his shoes among the young and elderly musicians among us? The vigour and expertly woven lyrics in Cde Chinx’s songs were potent that during the height of the land reclamation and redistribution era, he inspired people like Last ‘Tambaoga’ Chiyangwa, Brian Taurai Mteki and the late national hero, Cde Elliot Manyika to engage their drive against neo-colonialism.

The late lyricist transformed the course of the Zimbabwe’s history, mobilised for the victory of the proletariat and made the dreams of egalitarianism complete. Surely an ideological compass.

However, there has been a lack of continuity from both Chiyangwa and Mteki, and the two should “dare invent the future”. Their lyrics against imperialism were ‘one-hit-wonders’. A new genre of music has emerged in Zimbabwe, with many youths embracing the Jamaican music culture.

More of the young in the Zim-dancehall fraternity have remained servants of drugs, tattooing their bodies with pleasure. They find pride singing vulgar lyrics and as high as a kite. Well, we cannot stop creativity! However, this creativity has embraced a wrong culture. The young artistes are lacking self-discipline, have become wildly arrogant and bad-tempered.

It should be impressed upon young musicians that a true national culture in defending and fortifying the country should be what people must thrive for. As put by dub poet Bro Akala: “Culture is a weapon and if you don’t control your culture that weapon will probably be turned on you.”

Tambaoga, once a promising beacon and torch bearer for the youth struggle against ne-colonialism, has fallen by the wayside, his desire to continue as an anti-imperial lyricist baptised in revolutionary mobilisation is and was all but lip service. His enthusiasm for revolutionary work evaporated all too quickly. If that is not the answer, perhaps he is living up to his name, Tambaoga — he does not want to associate with others.

Mteki, a known sculptor, has in the past seen his fortunes in the music circles diminishing.

Cde Chinx may not have been the best singer in the world, but he had the best lyrics that summed the victory of the liberators against colonialism despite having not seen the victory of his lyrical prowess against neo-colonialism that has been fashioned through sanctions.

The route that our youths are taking has been poisoned by absurd promises offered in pleasure at the expense of the defence of our history through song.