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a mere 10-year-old at the Miss Black America pageant in 1969 at Madison Square Garden, to his appearance wearing a one bedazzled glove and military jacket at the Grammys in ’84, he has always different.

But many believe his breakthrough moment, the one that really stands out, came on March 25, 1983, when he performed the Moonwalk, for the first time, before a live studio audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California at the 25th anniversary of Motown.
Michael was performing his hit song, Billie Jean, when he plunged into his Moonwalk dance routine, creating an illusion as if he was being pulled backwards while he was attempting to walk forward and then capping it all with an amazing spin, bending his knees at the end and then rising up on his toes.

That performance alone, according to seasoned music analysts, took Michael’s superstardom to a whole new level as fans gasped in awe at how he was able to pull it off and, when NBC broadcast it on May 16, the world embraced what would become a signature dance routine in the ‘80s.
Musicians have this extra-ordinary power to influence our lives, either with the way they dance as Michael Jackson did on that unforgettable day in March ’83, or through the melody of their voices when they sing to save lives as they did in the USA for Africa project that gave us the smash hit, We Are The World, in ’85.

I’m a music fan, and my friends will testify to that, and I have tried to sing in a live band, too, when I had one too many as I tried to release the emotions that had been wrecked by the trials and tribulations of that penalty shootout drama when Manchester United won the Champions League in Moscow, even though my hoarse voice barely passed the test.
But I have always believed that the majority of our music critics don’t give our artists value for money for their creative genius and while the sportswriters try, as much as possible, to bring out the genius in some of our players, the celebration of our musicians, as genuine superstars, by our media is usually very muted.

For a country that has been blessed with such artistic giants like Oliver Mtukudzi, Thomas Mapfumo, Stella Chiweshe, Simon Chimbetu, Biggie Tembo and Leonard Dembo, to name but just a few of the heavyweights who are truly world-class, you feel not much has been exerted in terms of celebrating the greatness of our music and its artists.
We haunted Tongai Moyo, right into his grave, taking every opportunity to slander him with this and that story of his homelessness, or whatever it was, rather than celebrate the very fact that every day that passed by with him still alive, in that condition that he bravely fought, was a blessing.

Only when he was gone, after a brave fight that would have made even Mohammad Ali proud, did we see the value of his music and his brilliance as an artist that deserved respect for the way he moved from the shadows of a Dembo copycat, at the very beginning, to a man with a style that he could call his own.
But the fans, who are what matters in this industry, know what is good and what is not and you only have to see the way that Alick Macheso has turned into a cultural icon in this country to realise

that the influence that these guys have on the people is probably bigger than what the critics believe.
And in the last couple of weeks, we have all seen the power of our musicians, in terms of their influence, as the Zorai Butter dance craze, which was started by Macheso, becomes the signature dance of the drama that is unfolding at our football stadiums.

“Rugare vanhu vaMwariwe-e-ee, Zorai Butter Zim and Mzansi,” screams Macheso on his official Facebook page.
“Hanzi asipo anodya sipo, nezuro tanga tine chaunga pa Andy Miller, Showground, Harare. Nhasi tiri muno mu Karoi pa As You Like, mangwana nzira kwetsu takananga Chirundu, paChirundu Hotel.

“The Chirundu show will be our last show muno munyika yechiberekerwo before crossing Limpopo. Ticha rwufuridzazve takananga paMzansi apo.”
The sight of the Dynamos players, doing a rendition of the Zorai Butter dance routine, as they celebrate a goal, and their adoring fans also following in unison in moves that look as if they were choreographed, has become one of the lasting images of a very good year for the domestic Premiership.

Left arm outstretched, right arm being swung from an angle into contact with the left, then the move, as if the right arm is applying something, like a lotion or butter, on the left, from the finger tips right down to the shoulder.

Every step of the arm’s journey being coloured by a movement of the hips – yes, as best as I could, that’s how to describe Zorai Butter.
It looks like an amateurish and miniature version of the All Blacks Haka, without the frightening warlike faces that accompany the pre-match dance ritual of the world rugby champions, spiced with a feel-good touch that makes it quite attractive.

And, when performed by a group of players doing it in unison, and at a rhythm that corresponds with what their fans are doing in the stands, it creates quite a spectacle.
Viewers of the SuperSport 9 channel across large parts of Africa, who tuned in to watch the Dynamos/Motor Action league game broadcast live by the pay-per-view channel, fell in love with this dance routine when Dynamos celebrated their first goal and inundated the social media sites with chats about this crazy style of celebration.

Then on Tuesday night, after Knowledge Musona had scored the equaliser for the Warriors in their friendly international against Bafana Bafana, they all trooped towards the Vietnam Stand and, as if on cue and blending with their fans, plunged into the Zorai Butter dance routine. Tapiwa Kapini had done a solo performance of the Zorai Butter dance at the National Sports Stadium after the 3-0 victory over Liberia but, on Tuesday, with the entire team doing it in unison, it turned into a spectacle and, what had until now been a Dynamos trademark goal celebration routine, had gone national.

Well done Alick Macheso!
In case the music critics haven’t told you already, in a period where your second wife Tafadzwa has made more news than the quality of your music and your dance routines, get it from me right now that you are just a genius and even those who hated you, for what you are, can’t ignore you.
Zorai Butter!

So Who Will Be Champions?
For the second year running, we have gone into the final weekend of the Premiership race with the two leading teams tied on the same number of points.
Dynamos are the common denominator, they were there last year against Motor Action before losing the race on goal difference after the Mighty Bulls also won their final match, and they are there again this year in a duel against FC Platinum.

The only difference is that this year, Dynamos have the destiny of their championship battle in their hands, aided by a huge goal difference advantage, which means that FC platinum have to outscore them one in four for them to be crowned champions.
DeMbare are up against their bogey side Kiglon who have had a bearing in denying the Glamour Boys their date with destiny in the past two years by inflicting shock defeats, when it mattered most, and you get a feeling that – should the Harare giants fail to score in the first half – the pressure will be unbearable and something dramatic could happen.

FC Platinum are up against a Shooting Stars team that has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, in a vain but courageous battle to avoid relegation, and held Motor Action to a goalless draw at Callies, beat Blue Ribbon and narrowly lost 0-1 to CAPS United in their last three league games.
But while, on a normal weekend, both Kiglon and Shooting Stars have the capacity to beat the opponents they face tomorrow, their failed missions to survive relegation has changed the game and will weigh down heavily on them in matches they are certain to lose.

Kiglon were an embarrassment, for all the bravery they had shown in their battle to avoid the chop, including losing only 1-2 at the Colliery when they took just 13 players there, when they played their first match, following confirmation of their relegation, against Zimbabwe Saints.
They were lifeless, as they slumped to a 0-3 defeat at home against a team that had also been relegated, and while the significance of the occasion tomorrow could help spark them into life, for the cause of the integrity of the game, it’s hard to see them winning this one.

What remains the question is how far they can limit the damage likely to be inflicted by an opponent that has been on a high, since leaving Masvingo empty-handed and feeling aggrieved by the decision to force them to play a tough away match without Cuthbert Malajila and Washington Arubi, and coming out of the Colliery cursing all the referees for a disallowed effort that meant so much.
Shooting Stars would have been a good bet for a draw, or win, against FC Platinum if they still needed a win to survive but, with their Division One status now confirmed, it’s hard to see where their inspiration to show us the wildness that helped them stay in the top-flight league for six years, will come from tomorrow.

What remains the question is how far they can limit the damage likely to be inflicted by an opponent that badly needs a lift, after the shattered dreams that littered Mandava on Sunday, following a crowning ceremony that went badly wrong after Dynamos inflicted a stunning defeat that turned the race on its head.
Both Kiglon and Shooting Stars have a duty to preserve the integrity of the game, and a Premiership they might want to return to in the future, and that is why they should give it their best shot, even in a losing cause, come tomorrow afternoon.

It’s very likely that both the Wild Boys and Kiglon’s coaches, and their best players, would leave come end of the season to remain part of the Premiership and they have a duty to conduct themselves in a way that will make them good candidates to join other teams should they decide to move.
Then, crucially, there is also the move that is being spearheaded by Kiglon and Shooting Stars, challenging their relegation this season in a year where Zifa acknowledged, by hiring foreign referees for the Mbada Diamonds Cup, that our match officials’ conduct was not up to scratch.

Zimbabwe Saints have already fired the first shots, in an article carried by The Chronicle yesterday, saying they will challenge their relegation in court because, as Zifa confirmed in hiring the foreign referees, there were machinations at play in the local refereeing fraternity and poor Saints were victims because they did not have the cash to pay match officials.
Saints argue that their good run in the Mbada Diamonds Cup, where they reached the semi-final in a tournament where the match officials were well paid by the sponsors, was a good indicator of their true pedigree, in an environment not compromised by questionable officiating.

The relegated teams want all the 16 teams, who were part of the Premiership this season, to remain members of the elite league next year, with the four teams coming from Division One being embraced to bring the number to 20 for the championship next season.
Their argument is built on a technicality, boosted by Zifa’s decision to hire foreign referees which endorsed the mother body’s position that there were monumental flaws in the way the local refereeing family was handling itself and, since their work had an impact on who survives and who gets relegated, there has to be some form of relief for Saints, Kiglon, Shooting Stars and whoever will follow them today.

The three clubs argue that it’s not a coincidence that the poorest teams in the Premiership – Saints, Kiglon and Shooting Stars – were the first to be relegated in a season poisoned by the allegations of graft that rocked the domestic refereeing family and led to the hiring of expatriate personnel.

Against a background where they are fighting for a new lease of life in the Premiership, albeit on a technicality, it is therefore important that Kiglon and Shooting Stars do not conduct themselves in shame in their final matches tomorrow but, rather, they come out of the duels with their heads held high and being teams worthy of sympathy.

Noone knows what will happen tomorrow but, given the way they played against their main rivals in the race, you get a feeling Dynamos got it right in games that mattered to deserve this title and, in a year they beat FC Platinum three times, without conceding a goal, they can be forgiven when they brag that they are the best.

Luke Masomere boasted last week that Shabanie were the best supported team in the Midlands but that could all count for nothing if they lose against Highlanders at Maglas today.
Shabanie’s problem is compounded by the fact that a win could not be enough, if Masvingo United and Monomotapa draw at Rufaro today.

While everyone has been keeping an eye on the championship battle, it will be unfair for Masvingo and Monoz to strike a deal where they will battle for a draw, and in the process eliminate Masvingo United, because that defeats the whole purpose of a league championship race.

A draw is an acceptable result but it should be not be by mutual consent and, hopefully, both Monoz and Masvingo will play for a result.

Warriors Still Need A Playmaker
The Warriors won their first match, post the 2012 Nations Cup failed mission, when they edged Bafana Bafana 2-1 at Rufaro on Tuesday night.

Many of their critics, especially in South Africa, have hammered on the fact that Bafana Bafana were second string but, when you have first-choice players who can’t beat Sierra Leone at home, and who fail to qualify for two straight Nations Cup finals, are they still good enough to be called first-choice?

At least, the so-called second string side scored from open play, something that the so-called first-choice have failed to do in their last 180 minutes against Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire with Katlego Mphela scoring against the Elephants from a free-kick.

What came out of the match on Tuesday was that the Warriors still badly need a playmaker and, until Norman Mapeza unearths him from somewhere, we are set to fail to make a big impression when it really matters.

Willard Katsande has played well in his matches for the Warriors but you feel he doesn’t have that sixth sense, which every playmaker needs to have, which helps him see avenues where others see closed doors.

Maybe Norman should bring Ovidy Karuru into a more central midfield role, rather than coming from deep on the wing, as he battles to find a man who threads that pass into Musona’s path.
But, with Musona fit and seemingly getting better and better, we have a right to believe that we could make it to the 2013 Nations Cup finals. Our good neighbours, who spent acres of space talking about power cuts rather than their deficiencies on the field on Tuesday, can only qualify, once again, by hosting the tournament.

What The Hell Was That?
In the last 10 minutes of the live broadcast of the Zimbabwe/South Africa game, something happened and viewers, watching the game live on ZBC, were tortured by a sickening transmission of the game from an angle, captured by a camera positioned hehind Tapiwa Kapini, which made it difficult to follow the game.

It became impossible to tell whether the Warriors had ventured into their opponents’ half or vice-versa.
When the game switched to the left side, it became almost impossible to see what was happening. The initial feeling was that the central camera, which gave a centralised transmission of the events, had failed.

Whatever it was, it was as bad as it gets and you can only feel sorry for the viewers who had to go through it all, in those final 10 minutes.
It was exactly the opposite of what SuperSport had delivered when they covered the Dynamos/Motor Action game the previous week. And, just in case you doubted our personnel, four of the guys who were involved in the camera work of the SuperSport production, are Zimbabweans who learnt their trade at ZBC.

Some people have criticised Lovemore Banda for his commentary, during the match, but I have to say that I found him to be refreshing, went with the flow of the game and was generally well informed of the subject he was analysing.

I have always felt that Lovemore Banda is as fine, a football television commentator, as they come but then, he lives in a country where we find it difficult to appreciate the brilliance of our guys, be it in football commentary or music.
Give me Lovemore Banda anytime, and I will listen to him.

Joke Of The Week
Safa have filed a complaint with Fifa, challenging the result of friendly international between Bafana Bafana and the Warriors, at Rufaro this week.
Safa officials told The Herald there was something morally wrong about foreign players, who earn their living in South Africa, ganging up to beat the Rainbow Nation in international competitions. Zorai Butter!
Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chicharitooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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