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Lovemore Chikova

Assistant Editor

Yesterday, it was exactly 27 years since sungura music pacesetter Leonard Dembo died at the age of 37, throwing the country into mourning.

Dembo set the bar in sungura music so much that 27 years after his demise, upcoming musicians in that genre still make it clear their intention is to reach his level.

Commentators and experts in sungura music believe that no one has so far matched what Dembo did, in terms of creativity, the guitar work and lyrical prowess.

In commemorating his death anniversary yesterday, this article will look into Dembo’s life experiences as narrated by those who were around him who spoke mainly on radio at different intervals.

Dembo’s early life

According to his mother Mbuya Sukai Pasipanodya, in an interview on radio, Dembo’s father was called Kwangwari Gwaindepi.

After she separated with Mr Gwaindepi, Mbuya Pasipanodya was remarried. She then one day decided to visit Dembo’s relatives in Buhera where his uncle persuaded her to leave her son and his two siblings — Anna and Gift.

While in Buhera, Dembo did not go far with school, perhaps dropping out at only Grade 4, according to Mbuya Pasipanodya, because he was being made to work in the fields by the uncle.

Dembo was taken away from his uncle by an in-law to a place called Hwirisha to become a herd boy.

“He made a banjo which he played while herding cattle,” said Mbuya Pasipanodya. “His aunt’s son was working in Harare at Coca Cola. Leonard decided to ran away from Hwirisha to stay with the aunt’s son in Harare.”

He later got a job at Coca Cola and bought his own guitar, which he used to learn more about playing sungura.

Joining The Outsiders Band

According to Julia Ncube, Dembo joined The Outsiders Band in Harare, which had other band members like David Ziome and herself.

“Leonard Dembo did some songs with The Outsiders and I actually provided backing vocals on his hit song Dambudzo,” said Ms Ncube. “I am not sure where he was coming from when he joined us in 1980, but I think he was from Highfields. I later left The Outsiders and went back home to Hwange to stay with my children.”

Meeting and marrying his wife Eunice

According to Mrs Eunice Dembo, as she spoke in an interview on radio, she met Dembo in Masvingo, which is her home area, in 1985 around May.

Dembo had just clinched a contract to play at the newly opened municipal bar called Sarudzai.

“We met in the city centre and we talked and gave each other addresses,” she said. “When we met, he never told me he was a musician. But he had sweet words, but very quiet.

“He said he was working at a company that manufactures drinks and had just been transferred to Masvingo.”

A few days later they started dating, and Dembo openly told her he wanted to meet with her only at her house.

“He came and saw my aunt who I was staying with,” said Mrs Dembo. “Then one of the days soon after he left, our neighbour, a grandmother, came rushing with the cover of Dembo’s first album Mai neVana Vavo.

“That is how I knew he was a musician. He told me his name was Leonard Tazvivinga and it did not click in my head that he could be Dembo.”

But then Mrs Dembo decided it was over between them.

“Everyone at the house agreed he was not a straight forward man because of the lies and the guitars,” she said.

The following morning, he came as usual and Mrs Dembo’s aunt took him to task.

“He apologised and immediately told my aunt and sister that he wanted to marry me,” she said. “Within weeks we had made the preliminary arrangements like meeting each other’s family and then within two months he came and paid lobola.

“He wanted a wedding immediately, but due to other circumstances we eventually had the wedding in 1994 in Masvingo after we already had all our three children.

“In Harare, we were staying in Glen View 1 and then we later moved to Chitungwiza in 1990 and eventually to Belvedere in 1992.”

How Dembo did his songs

Mrs Dembo said she never saw Dembo writing any song.

“He would just wake up in the night and he had a recorder, and play his guitar and sing while recording himself,” she said. “He said he would have dreamt singing and playing, recording was so that he would not forget the song he got in the dream.”

Dembo’s bassist Shepard Akim, who joined him in 1991, speaking in an interview on radio soon after his boss’ death, concurred with Mrs Dembo.

“He would not write the songs,” he said. “He would just tell the band members he had a song and then instruct us how to play our parts.”

Akim said Dembo used to start his practice sessions around 8pm, ending at 2am the following day.

Dembo’s temperamental character

Those who spoke on Dembo’s character said he was very quiet and respectful, but extremely volatile if anyone crossed his path.

In his music career, there were two main things he did not want to be associated with — being taken a picture or video without prior arrangement and associating with fellow musicians John Chibadura and Simon Chimbetu.

Dembo believed Chibadura and Chimbetu were dabbling in voodoo and would harm his career as competitors.

According to his manager, Raphel Makwiramiti, Dembo would abandon a show once he learnt either Chibadura or Chimbetu had played at the venue a few days before him.

“He would never shake hands with Chibadura and Chimbetu because he believed they were involved in the nyau culture,” he said. “On one incident, we had everything set on stage at Mushandirapamwe Hotel and it was on a Saturday.

“When Dembo went on stage to start playing, he saw a poster indicating Chibadura was at the venue the day before. He told me we were abandoning the show. We went away and I told the hotel officials that he had fallen ill.”

Landmine Madongonda, whose father was a promoter, said in the same radio interview that they organised a show at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare.

The main performers were John Chibadura, who charged $8 000, Oliver Mtukudzi who charged $3 000 and Leonard Dembo who charged $16 000.

“We had done everything — paid all the musicians, paid the police for security, printed and pasted, bought stocks of beer for resale and paid radio adverts for the show,” he said.

“When Dembo learnt that Chibadura was part of the show, he simply said come and collect your money, I am no longer part of this. The show was never held and we made a loss that affected our business.”

Dembo, Mr Makwiramiti said, used to keep a pistol that landed him in trouble a number of times.

He discharged it in the air in Zvishavane and Masvingo after clashing with the fans who blocked his way out so he could continue playing even after his time was up.

In Zvishavane, he was particularly angry that someone had called him Musorowenyoka, referring to his bald head.

Mr Makwiramiti said Dembo did not want to be taken a picture or a video because he feared being bewitched.

The only two videos he had — for the songs Sharai and Manager, were taken after officials at Gramma Records told Dembo and the band to act the songs, without informing them they were recording.

Among journalists and radio Djs, Dembo had a good working relationship with only the then Radio 2 presenter Eric Knight, according to his uncle Benjamin.

Dembo’s deep belief in traditional culture

According to Mbuya Pasipanodya, Dembo would bring her to Harare from time to time to engage in traditional rites to appease the ancestors.

“He would drive to pick me up and I would come to Harare and brew traditional beer at his house,” she said. “He bought four big traditional pots for the ceremony and people would play mbira and drums, singing and drinking.

“He would not miss his traditional rites. I am not sure if he was a spirit medium, but he used to move around with traditional paraphilia like a cloth. We would share snuff when I arrive at his house.”

Mr Makwiramiit said Dembo did not shy away from his traditional beliefs.

“Even during shows, he would open his shirt’s button and display his traditional cloth so that everyone could see,” he said.

Dembo’s last days

Leonard Dembo’s last days were troubled.

After realising that his fellow musician was now ill, veteran sungura singer Nicholas Zakaria approached Dembo to inform him his solution could be at church.

“I took him to my church and he was prayed for and was now recovering,” he said. “We started doing some shows together. Then we had a tour of Chiredzi and Bulawayo. In Bulawayo, he then got seriously ill.

“We were booked at a hotel with stairs and I had to carry him on my back so that he could access his room because he could no longer walk. We rushed back to Harare and went to the church shrine and Dembo was later taken to the Avenues Clinic.

“Within two weeks of being admitted, he died. My wish was that he could recover, but it was not to be.”

Mitchel Jambo, who claimed to have been very close to Dembo, said he attended his show and found him performing while sitting on a chair.

“He had a break and I went to his room and he told me it was now very difficult for him to do his job because of the illness,” he said. “I realised he was now very ill. He told me he was not seeing any chances of recovery.”

Mbuya Pasipanodya said she came to Harare after being informed Dembo was in hospital and the first time he visited him there he asked for opaque beer.

On the day he died, a lot of people visited the hospital, including whites, she said.

Dembo’s body was then taken to Chirumhanzu where he was buried.