Talented dancehall musician with disability seeks help
TWENTY-ONE year old rising Zimdancehall musician Micho Banjo born Mike Saujeni who is living with disability, has made a passionate plea for support as he seeks to grow his music career and eke a living from his talent.
The talented crooner whose debut single “Chipo Makandipa” is doing well on local radio stations reckons he is not a charity case but would be happy to get the right enablers to achieve more in his career and life.
“Yes I am living with disability but I believe I have the talent and pedigree to make the most of my life.
“Disability is not inability and I really thank God for blessing me with a music gift.
“I don’t doubt my talent but I strongly feel my living conditions and current state limits my potential hence I could achieve a lot more with the right support,” Micho Banjo said.
Saujeni who is wheelchair bound, lost his father in 2010 and lives in the Chigovanyika area of Chitungwiza with his mother who survives on a second hand clothing business and some menial work in the nearby rural Seke area.
“My father passed away in 2010 and I am relying on my mother for everything. She is a clothes vendor and has to travel to rural Seke every now and then for some menial jobs.
We are only four boys in our family and am the third born. For my education I was at Jairos Jiri where I learnt various skills including wheelchair basketball and computers,” Micho Banjo said.
Micho Banjo who prefers to handle his business and daily chores is often left at home with his partially paralysed young brother when his mother travels to rural Seke.
“Life is not rosy, oftentimes I am left with my young brother who got paralysed when he was a young boy after being struck by a base bed.
“I am able to do much of the house chores like cooking but its risky at times.
“I am hoping for better living conditions and transport arrangements that allow me to travel to recording studios with ease,” he said.
Micho Banjo who has to crawl into an outside bucket system toilet at the run down house with no electricity where he stays, bemoaned the appalling living conditions.
“The house where I stay has got no electricity and this means I can’t rehearse or research on music trends as I struggle for power and have to rely on neighbours.
I also have to crawl into the bucket system toilet which is not user friendly given my state and its really affecting my health and morale,” Micho Banjo said.
The highly confident crooner who is blessed with amazing moves on his wheelchair is a proud owner of a housing stand availed to him by Government but is bemoaning lack of resources to build a home.
“I do own a stand availed by government given that I am living with disability, but it has been lying idle for years.
I really wish I could get a well-wisher to help me put up a structure and possibly and install solar power in the place,
for my rehearsals and even put up a user friendly toilet,” he said.
Locals in the area commended the talented dancehall musician for his never-say-die spirit and added that he would do well with the right support and under the right living conditions.
The ambitious crooner thanked some well-wishers for supporting him with daily basics and funding his debut single recorded at Chillspot Records.
“I want to thank some well-wishes who sometimes come to my rescue with generous donations and supported the recording of my debut single Chipo Makandipa under Music for Hope project at Chillspot Records in Mbare.
“Of course I expected better . . . but I think we managed to produce a decent production which is receiving fair rotation on national radio especially ZiFM’s
Judgement yard,” he said.
Micho Banjo recently had an unfortunate incident that saw him get burnt by hot water as he tried to cook for his equally disabled young brother.
“I was trying to prepare a meal and while trying to open the pot; the wheelchair hit the pot and it spilled hot water onto my back.
I was badly burnt but thank God I am on the path to recovery,” he added.