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Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor

Christmas is next Friday and artistes have been releasing latest albums to give their followers a lift in the face of Covid-19.

A couple of big name players in local showbiz such as Alick Macheso, Sulumani Chimbetu and Leonard Zhakata, have dropped either singles or full albums.

Mark Ngwazi, not one of the tallest guys around and probably not so popular depending on where one is coming from, has unveiled his fifth album, right in time for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Ngwazi is a sungura artiste whose music seeks to transform society, in some cases through abandoning age-old traditions that have cost many people their destinies.

His lyrics and song-writing appear to be in Zhakata’s class; very educative, but at the same time entertaining.

Some of his fans and neutrals alike, have called him the future of sungura, a label he refuses to accept, claiming that anyone saying so is “aware of where they want to take him and his music”.

Ngwazi and his Njanja Express, unleashed their fifth album on November 25.

It is titled “Chamugwegwedu Chamatindike.”

The album title might scare some music lovers away, but once they buy the CD, they will not regret the decision, neither will they seek a refund.

Ngwazi is a gifted songwriter who seamlessly organises music despite having too many sentences in his tracks.

His latest offering is enjoyable and speaks to issues affecting society.

The first track is  “Chamugwegwedu Chamatindike”, in which Ngwazi sings about witchcraft in families, some of it related to goblins, resulting in deaths every year.

Ngwazi says alleged witches and wizards are prompted into action by the mere sight of a young boy pushing a toy “haulage truck” made of wire.

In the spiritual world, a haulage truck toy is interpreted as a sign that the child has bigger ambitions in life, which should be “tamed” before blossoming into reality.

In the second track, “Take nemakonzo”, Ngwazi warns people against acquiring goblins, since the beneficiaries are never told of everything about how they work.

He says some of the goblins are sold on the pretext they will fortify families, but become sources of failed marriages and businesses, while others cause the buyer to live bizarre lifestyles in which they walk into their houses with their backs first and use informal toilets.

Ngwazi believes only God has power to fortify marriages and bring customers for those in business.

He adds that even a sungura artiste can still make it without juju and be invited to perform at Christian gatherings, by God’s grace.

The third track, “Taurai Madzoka”, warns people against divulging everything about their lives as some recipients of the information “are cursed” and result in nothing materialising.

The fourth track, “Pasi pemavheji pane nyama”, encourages honest hard work even in the face of adversity, adding that it is unwise for people to sleep and expect to make money, “apart mechanics”.

“Makwikwi”, the fifth track, discourages people from competing with others in life since their sources of funding are different.

In the last track, “Tezvara vaVatezvara”, Ngwazi says it is not advisable for in-laws to intervene in challenges that might rock their child’s marriage since they may not like it when their in-laws too, were to equally intervene.

Ngwazi told The Herald yesterday that the album had been well received in the few weeks it has been on the market.

“I am surprised by the response; the album is everywhere now,” he said.

“This has never happened to me.”

Ngwazi has since released a video of “Taurai Madzoka” which is already making waves on social media platforms like YouTube.

Njanja Express is made up of Ngwazi, Donald Gogo (lead guitar), Last Kazonda (bass), Wirts Katogo (rhythm) and Barnabas Mandipota (drums).