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Outrage as Tuku backs Mugabe
Many of you were outraged that Oliver Mtukudzi performed at a Zanu PF rally. We give the final word to our readers and below are some of your comments
Editor - I just can't come to terms with the fact that Oliver is doing this.
I could not help myself so much that, stupid as it may sound, I have thrown away anything that is Oliver Mutukudzi - I had a collection of ten of his works. This has made me feel better.
As for the coming shows in London, we normally have a convoy of six cars racing to where ever Tuku is - at times to all his shows. I have attended every other show and now I am feeling very betrayed, betrayed indeed!
Finally it all seems like it is Pass-over weekend and it is betrayal time as it is this weekend that we will see Judas Iscariot betray the Son of Man. Concidentally it is this week that we hear of one of our brothers we had thought is championing the struggle of those displaced and downtrodden betray them.
Ah!!!!!!!!!!!
Mhaha waka Mhiha
UK
Editor - I would like to say Mr Mtukudzi has lost it; if possible let's start to decampain him over here in UK. How could he this at the time of the year when everyone wants him to rally behind MDC.
Lloyd Charamba
UK
Editor - I don't know if you are aware that this is the second time that Tuku has pledged his allegiance to ZANU PF.
When interviewed
byt a Zimbabwean journalist, Irene Madonko, Tuku espoused his support
for Mugabe's land reform programme. SW Radio Africa covered this story
and Tuku promised them to come in for an interview to explain his position
but never did.
Sky
Editor - I
just want to add my voice to followers of Tuku for what amounts to a
"great betrayal" of the people by Oliver Mtukudzi for blatantly
aligning himself with partisan politics. Mtukudzi has not only betrayed
and disappointed followers of his music but he has spoilt what he has
worked so hard for over the last decades. Posterity will judge him harshly
for making this ill-fated decision to associate himself with ZANU PF
politics of hate and plunder. Because ZANU PF has hurt all of us, his
association with ZANU PF is hurting because music is not only a form
of entertainment for Zimbabweans, but it is intended to impart lifelong
lessons and those associated with the music become role-models of society.
We all look up to people like Mtukudzi for wise counsel and his association
with Mujuru and others is a testimony of the fact that he "sups
with the enemy" in the
night.
Additionally, it
is indeed disastrous that when Zimbabweans go to elections
in a fortnight, well respected figures in society like Tuku seem to
be unaware of the dangers of this "unholy alliance". The unholly
alliance will surely be counter-productive because Tuku should know
better about the current politics in Zimbabwe and his role should be
to educate Zimbabweans through his music and his behavior. It is this
betrayal that keeps ZANU PF going, it is this betrayal that has abetted
tyranny in our motherland, it is this betrayal that legitimises the
killing, murder and torture of our people; remember how the young turks
were lured by their insatiate appetite for wealth to join ZANU PF and
how they worked against progressive forces to save a "sinking ZANU
PF ship". Moyo has testified already that he saved a "sinking
ZANU PF ship" Mtukudzi has disappointed the whole lot of us because
of this miscalcaulation. History and posterity will surely judge him
harshly and remember in world history some world leaders disappeared
into oblivion because of such monumental mistakes. This could mark a
major turning point in Tuku's otherwise impressive and consistent career.
Tonderai Munakiri
Editor – Are
you selling Nvava? I need one.
Edson and Linda Maduwura
| "It makes sad reading to see the great man come down in such an unwise and least strategic way" |
| RON IN BOSTON |
Editor - DEMOCRACY--in
my own simple defination is the right to choose without someone putting
a gun on your neck. If you do not like Zanu PF then do not force those
who like it if you believe in democracy. I do not like Znu PF myself
but I do not have a problem with people who like it because I am an
open minded person who believe that people should be free to choose.
So do not have a problem with Tuku's chice.
You guys you always critise everything, way don't you go ahead and do
something yourselves and we see how far you can go? Right now you are
hiding in UK and waiting for other people to die for you then you can
go back and probably start critising again.
I like your news and I ready it everyday, thanks for always be the first
people to inform us of what is going on back home, but stop your unnecessary
and uneducated comments.
Mamvura
CANADA
Editor - I love
Tuku and thats for real. I am a Zimbabwean driven out to search for
a better life in the US by Mujuru and Mugabe's policies and find it
shocking to hear what my icon is turning into. It makes sad reading
to see the great man come down in such an unwise and least strategic
way. I live in Boston and most Africans here know Zimbabwe through Tuku
and what a shame it will be for them to learn of this act of betrayal.
I feel Tuku needs to come out clean or else he keeps his "nhava"
(latest song) and we keep our ears and preciuos dollars in the diaspora.
I am yet to get e-mails from home but i am sure it will be dozens of
them not with the usual glory they have about Tuku and Macheso, but
the anger of this turn around which untimely.
Just a few days age we were chating with fellow Zimbostonians about
propsects of having the former legendary Tuku in our new "home"
and enjoy Zimbabwe through his music but i can assure you its not now,
any sooner or for the forseeable future if the news coming from Zim
is true. If Tuku does not come clean then he has to sing for the galas,
i am sure they will be many of them after our poor grandmothers vote
and their votes are never counted if they are the other way and there
will be victory celebrations from what Tobaiwa and ... who is going
to take over from Obriel's role in 2002. Keeping us awake for the whole
night and selling us a dummy count. Then there will be bashes and of
course silver jubilee in April.
AS I write, I still feel its not Tuku, wait a minute, till Tuku mbune
comes out clean on this one. I like you Tuku but i cannot imagine your
precious voice being used to do a nhora vakomana or taveneminda?
Definitely not!
I hope this message gets to you and wish to read your response. For
now i keep my CDs, i was actually looking at buying Nhava but
till you come out clean you might as well keep it and i keep my dollars
and buy PDiddy or Chamhembe even 2 CDs of the same and conduct a small
auction of all my collection.
I still have lots of respect for Tuku ( the smart guy i left in Zim
a year ago, kwete weZanu watikunzwa mumapepa.) The nation is bleeding
from a terrible regime's will nilly destruction and you are too cool
to pick thier dirty for your career.
Ron in Boston
USA
Editor - I am so
disappointed about Tuku's performance at a political rally. Today is
the saddest day of my life. How could he sink so low? Tuku watinyadzisa.
I am a very old woman living in Ireland now because of the situation
back home and I have been Tuku's fan for a very long time. Now, what
shall I say kuva zukuru vangu?
What a great pretender, Tuku? Wamhara manje. You better concentrate
on the farms that they gave you otherwise you should have put your fans
first before anyone else or anything else. Is he (tuku) suggesting that
all his fans come from Dande?? Kusaziva KUFA!!!
DISAPPOINTED FAN
Editor - I am one
of those who was appalled by what Tuku did for Zanu PF.If it is for
the love of money then let us make sure that he earns almost nothing
from his latest album.The best way to do this is to get hold of his
latest cd and then upload it on Kazaa or Limewire where anyone is then
free to download it for nothing.This way we will be able to hit him
where it hurts most..his pocket.
After all these years supporting him it is really painful to be cheated.Tuku
must bite the bullet.Lets make sure that only Zanu PF buys his cd and
the rest gets it for free.
Pasi naye Tuku
J. Moyosvi
Editor - Oliver Mtukudzi has right to freedom of expression. It is people like you Shapiro who shame our hard won freedom by impeding on other people's right to express themselves, yet cry at the same time that there is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. I remember writing a story in which Tuku once ostracised MDC on their land policy and he told them that for the sake of unity in Zimbabwe, they would rather negotiate with Zanu PF. I blasted him then, but then as maturity caught up with me, I realised, Tuku or any other musician had a right to be aligned to anyone he so wishes.
| "I feel there must be a powerful campaign in the U.K and the rest of the democratic world against Tuku's latest turn-around" |
| MOSES CHAMBOKO |
NewZimbabwe Arts Editor should leave him alone for through journalistic integrity, Shapiro should know that a sizeable population in Zimbabwe supports Mugabe and Zanu PF and it is no crime they are committing - it is all their right to expression - the very fundamental right journalists like Shapiro have long been crying for, especilly under Jonathan Moyo's draconian laws. Now, becoz some people have the means to write, they want to control how other people express themselves? It is not for the media to tell any Zimbabwean who to support or who not to support - the media can only respect a person's wish to support and not practice gutter journalism, writing gutter pieces like the one by Newzimbabwe.
The word journalism
should be ashamed by you guys. Contrary to your claims, Zimbabwe is
not even ashamed or outraged - it is the media that is through pre-determined
pieces like the one that appeared in the Standard Newspaper - I can
almost hear the journalist asking, "Tuku performed at the Mujuru
bash, you are angry with him, aren't you?" Of-course, we journalists
have long written voice pox pieces in which we phone our friends and
ask them obvious questions or answer our own questions and put names
to the answers to justify or legitimise the story - yes we do that and
I can see this written all over Tuku's story. Shame on you!!
Peter Moyo
Editor - I will start by quoting you "He has chosen hate politics,
and he should be now judged with those buffoons Sekesai Makwavarara
and his heroine Joyce
Mujuru." If you carefully follow what you wrote, there is no hate
literature as you posted on the web condemming a very good man because
he has mingled with people from a political party you don't like. Oliver
Mtukidzi holds his shows in Zimbabwe always in front of ZANU PF, MDC,
ZANU etc supporters who are all his fans, and no-one is asked for a
party card at the gate. Zimbabweans whether they are ZANU PF, MDC, ZANU
go to work everyday to sustain an economy run by ZANU PF, and no-one
condems them.
Who the hell are
you anyway to go into the ballot box on behalf of Oliver Mtukudzi?
Ludwig Toperesu
Editor - I think
that Tuku is a decent human being who may have committed a major blunder
by associating himself with those who persecute the people of Zimbabwe.
His protestation that Joyce Mujuru is his clanswoman may well be a genuine
one but it is simply not good enough, Oliver. As for his singing career,
a lot will depend on what he does henceforth. He can use his bully pulpit
to publicly urge the Zimbabwean government to put the interests of the
people ahead of their own political survival. Tuku can recover much
of his lost respect by reading out a short statement at the start of
each of his upcoming shows, expressing in unequivocal terms, his solidarity
with those who have been victimised by the colleagues of his clanswoman,
Joyce.
Allen Masomere
Editor - Guys I think again we are headed in the wrong direction like the previous Zuma profanity case. Sherpiro please save this highly talented entertainer and wonderful social commentator. This guy earns his living from doing what he does best which playing music irrespective of the audiance as long as he is paid for it. I dont see any dramas if he plays at a ZANU PF rally , he is only doing his job . Tuku is not standing for ZANU PF and all the same he is free to attend a rally for what he sings comes from different sources. Chimbetu's case was completely as he made it clear that he is a ZANU PF cadre. I am sure there are better topics to make headlines.
By the way, I love
the work you doing.
Simba Bako
Melbourne
Editor - I felt
so nauseated after reading that Tuku had performed at a political gathering.
I for one i have shredded my show ticket. I don't care less about the
launch of his new album, to hell with him. He is an embecile for real
i have lost respect for that man. The purse he is collecting after three
shows is not from morons it is from us people who are fighting against
the system. It will take him ages to raise that kind of money in Zimbabwe.
This guy should face the music and teach him not to bite the hand that
feeds him. It does not matter whether he was entertaining of what. he
has just shown us how pea sized his brains are. Wauraya tuku you are
a back staber. You have lost me as your fan. I had rescheduled my plans
for saturday for that show in Sheperds Bush. Tuku forget it iam going
to a birthday party. We have had enough of you guys trying to be our
friends when you really know that you just want our money. From now
on Tuku should be left to rot in Zim.
HR Songelani
Editor - Siyanai
na va Mtukudzi, he is expressing his fundamental right of choice.I
feel we should have singers who belong to either ZANU PF or MDC. In
mature democracies there is nothing sinister. If a singer becomes bad
because he is on the side of the rulling party, when the opposition
takes over is it going to allow opposing views? I really dont think
so. These are signs that only MDC supporters will be catered for in
such a setup because anyone on the other side is betraying.To me this
line of thinking explains one thing; the intolerance we see in ZANU
PFis not a aparty attitude but a Zimbabwean one. ZANU PF or MDC we are
just not tolerant enough to accept the other person's choice as long
as it is not the same as yours.While we think we are expressing democratic
ideals those who know easily tell a Zimbabwean by this democratic immaturity
in almost all Zimbabweans. Lets respect Samanyanga's choice even if
its not the same as ours. Pamberi na Samanyanga, pamberi na Mai Mujuru
, Pamberi na Shapiro Pambermberi ne Zimbabwe! !
Fanuel Nhamo Musarira
Tlokweng, Botswana
Editor - I read hatred from your lips and i feel you are taking it too far, correct me if wrong i hate not ZANU PF but the corrupt practises and the in human behaviour shown by most of the ruling party's so called powerful three.
Get me right Tuku
is good and he is an entertainer just as you have said he is no coward
for he's done it in the past by openely demonising the Zanu PF cock
by telling them to accept. I know he has done nothing wrong by singing
at the ZANU party as long as he keep telling them to accept the truth.
My brother attended the bash and he says he did all that was good. We
need to fight from within instead of from without.
I am not a sympathiser, Tuku is just right.
Steady Shumba
Editor - I feel
there must be a powerful campaign in the U.K and the rest of the democratic
world against Tuku's latest turn-around. It is better for a musician
of his stature to remain neutral or silent about politics than openly
show his support for a dictatorship. This must be the beginning of the
end for poor Tuku. Unless he convincingly clears his name, we must show
him who his real paymasters are.
Concerned Fan
Moses Chamboko
New Zealand
Ediotor - It's very
unfortunate that your site has developed this holier than thou
attitude and went on an all out attack on whoever you feel has done
actions or an action on the wrong side of Zim politics. Your attack
on Mtukudzi was totally unwarrented. He explained that he was doing
it for his kin and thats it.
Remember everyone
has the right to freedom of association and speech
(remember your fuck Zuma headline). And you have defended your articles
on Jonathan Moyo the worst perpetrator of media repression. Mtukudzi
sat down and thought about what he was doing. He knows about Simon Chimbetu
and Andy Browns, so Please let him entertain who ever he wants to and
celebrate who ever's rise as long as it suites him and the performance
does not in any bit reflect Mtukudzi's political inclinations. Freedom
to all and fuck those who hide behind the media to dictate to others
who they should support and who they should not!
Gudliguma Sibanda
Editor - I have
been shocked to gather through your article that Tuku performed at a
Zanu PF function, and that he has been unwittingly trying to justify
it by suggesting that he is related to Mai Mujuru, and thus was celebrating
with a daughter from Dande. I think this is indeed one of the greatest
betrayals in the history of struggle in Zimbabwe. Tuku must know on
which side his bread is buttered. I am now 34 years and have been Tuku's
fan since when I was 6 when my father took me to one of his shows, from
then on I fell in love with his music and all it stood for, that is
freedom, womens rights etc. To hear then that he has alligned himself
to and is related to one of the most brutal rogue regimes in the world
is sickening. Does Tuku know that when he plays to Zimbabweans around
the world does he ever think why they left home. Does he know that we
all left our beloved country to run away from the tyranny and ruin that
has been perpetrated on our country by his 'relatives'. I was planning
to attend one of his shows in the UK, and after this i wont. Rather
with a couple of my friends we are planning to hand back to him all
of his CDs and cassettes that we have, to show him how disgusted we
are to hear that he has alligned himself with Zanu PF. I also urge all
Zimbabweans who are willing to hand back back their CDs to do so when
he performs in the UK.
Remember this is not the first time, a year or two ago it was reported
that Tuku had made statememts supporting Zanu Pf's land grab exersice.
He got away with it, but this time we must not let him off the hook.
Kajepo Mukawere
Editor - For us
in the South Pacific, the news of Tuku's bungling did not come as a
surprise. We hear that there is a group of professionals that was trying
to bring Tuku to New Zealand for a few shows but his bungling, coupled
with that of his manager, put paid to the proposed tour. We have all
known Tuku to be a man of "petty-coat government", judging
from his daily manipulation by his manageress. And now he has proven
us right, he really loves to be under Sekesai, under Joyce, ooooh my
God!
It will be pathetic for a man like Tuku to sing at Murambinda or Guruve
growth points like Chopa is now doing. If Oliver thinks Zimbabweans
are zombies, let him continue on this path. I intended to buy Nhava
but I will use my money elsewhere! Zvinonyadzisa. Daisy, where are you?
Wezhira,
New Zealand
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