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Entertainment Reporter
Dancehall star Freeman of the Danger Zone fame got a rude awakening at the weekend when missiles rained on stage during his performance at the Zim Dancehall Fiesta held at Gwanzura Stadium. Freeman born Emergy Chizanga who hails from Dzivarasekwa also known by its slang name as DZ short for Danger Zone left the stage prematurely after fans threw missiles at him in disapproval.

“He (Freeman) cannot come and perform here because this is not his backyard,” one irate fan.
Another fans insisted that Freeman was not a bonafide Highfield resident and that his music talks about DZ.

“The youngster wants everyone to know that he is from DZ and for us that is very insulting,” he said.
The “Joina City” singer could not continue even though he had come prepared for the show. It was a pity the majority of fans had come from Highfield, the host suburb and to them Freeman was not one of their own.

The same sort of thing happened early this year in Dzivarasekwa also known by its slang name as DZ when dancehall chanters clashed during a gig.

This, however, promoters say does not augur well with the growth of the genre.
“I think we had a great crowd but then it is worrying that fans are killing the music. There is no need to say i belong to this or that artiste simply because you come from the same area. The gig was dubbed Zim Dancehall Fiesta and not Highfield, Mbare or DZ fans.

“Music fans should be mature enough and support all the musicians regardless of where they come from So we condemn such acts in the strongest terms,” Partson “Chipaz” Chimbodza the organiser of the show said.

He said it was encouraging that was new talent in Zimbabwean dancehall but efforts to promote the genre should not be hampered by one or two rowdy elements.

“You see people like (Oliver) Mtukudzi, Sulu (Chimbetu), Alick Macheso and Jah Prayzah can perform wherever they want because their fans are mature enough they know it is about the music not where one comes from. This is what should happen in dancehall,” he said.

That said, the dancehall extravaganza lived up to expectations and drew hundreds of fans who were treated to music by several artistes among them Final Warning, Dadza D, Jay C, Ricky Fire, Seh Calaz, Lady Squanda, Killa T, Kinna, Spiderman and Addelino. Godfather Templeman and his troupe also spiced the line up.

It was all the more exciting to see local dancehall acts pulling such a huge crowd, a sign many people attribute to the fact that Zimbabweans are now appreciating local talent.