The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube
Entertainment Correspondent
TRADITIONAL music ensemble, DezeraWasu, are this year’s Manicaland Chibuku Road to Fame winners after outplaying nine other groups in a tightly-contested provincial contest held at Nyausunzi Beerhall last week on Saturday.
The outfit which came out second in last year’s competition outdid itself and put up a sublime performance that landed them a ticket to perform at the national finals slated for Harare next month.
DezeraWasu walked away with US$2 500, while second-placed MACCA Sensational and third-placed Miusanga Band received US$1 500 and US$1 000 respectively.
MACCA Sensational impressed the judges and the audience with their traditional folk music, while Muisanga enthralled many with their Afro-fusion sound.
However, their best was not good enough to outshine the winners who were so determined to take the prize home with their mbira-strumming prowess.
DezeraWasu’s stage presentation, their voice projection, instrumental arrangement and confidence during their 15-minute performance were enough to convince the adjudicators who included veteran producer and musician, Peter Muparutsa.
In an interview on the sidelines of the event, the winners said all eyes are now on the national competition where they will face other provincial musical giants.
“We are aware that the national finals will not be easy. We believe we have a lot of things that we need to work on. We will prepare hard and make sure that we bring the biggest prize home.
“We are excited that we came out tops. It wasn’t easy. We prepared hard for this event. We did not lose hope when we settled for the runner-up position last year. Instead, it was a learning curve,” said one of the group’s founding members, Kelvin Dozwa, fondly known as Kever Six.
But who is DezeraWasu?
It is a Zimbabwean mbira traditional music ensemble composed of eight youthful and versatile musicians.
The band was formed in 2018, and went on a sabbatical in 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, the group participated in the first season of the Celebrate Africa music competition and qualified for the top seven finals.
Early this year, the band was selected among the 625 chosen around the world for the Intercontinental Biennial exhibition in South America.
DezeraWasu bridges the gap between the old and new generations by performing both folk and original songs using traditional rhythms like mhande, mbende, mbakumba, and dinhe.
The group has performed online, at national events and social gatherings.
National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Manicaland regional manager, Carol Makoni said they expect DezeraWasu to up their game at the more competitive national competition.
“The event went out as expected. There was a 100 percent turn-out of groups which came from districts like Mutare, Chimanimani, Chipinge and from as far as Nyamaropa in Nyanga.
“As NACZ, the event was an eye-opener because it gave us insights into how upcoming bands and musicians are performing post Covid-19. We expect them to polish their act as it will not be a stroll in the park at the national finals,” she said.
