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Blessings Chidakwa

Arts Reporter

Whenever the word ‘Messi’ pops up or it triggers thoughts for football icon Lionel Messi, forever celebrated as one of the world’s best.

No doubt he is a ‘god’ albeit on the football pitch as accolades and achievements speak for themselves.

However, Zimbabwe has its own ‘Mesi’ whom it also relates to with ease, of course with one ‘S’.

He is neither a footballer nor found anywhere near the football pitch, but a renowned sungura musician.

His first name is Paradzai which loosely translate to destroy in English language.

Whether its fate or probably some dark forces which could have been working round the clock to destroy his once thriving musical career like his name Paradzai depicts.

Five years ago the sungura musician once quit the wise waters ‘beer’ joining the Johane Masowe Chishanu sect in the high density suburb of Highfield.

It was a clear sign that he perhaps needed divine intervention in his life. The signs of a ‘dying’ career were clearly visible.

Before that at the height of the millennium he was an envy of many, buying his own car, a commuter omnibus and a Public Address system, but all that vanished.

That came through the success of his albums as “Zviripachena” “Goneso”, “Pane Chariuraya”, “Masimba Towedzera”, “Zvavemuropa”, “Nguva” and “Kambairai” which were all hits.

However, all that said Mesi indeed nearly reached a point of no return as his career was nosediving.

Only the dead have no hope under the sun, for the living like Mesi there is always another chance in life.

Some well-wishers mostly musicians and business corporates have pledged to resuscitate his career and only time will tell if that succeeds, but myself like many others we wish him well.

This coming weekend he will be performing in Dzivaresekwa at PaDziva at a show dubbed ‘One big party.’

The sungura musician will not be a lone figure, will be sharing the stage with a man who hails from Masvingo, but gave himself a ‘Harare’ name and is conquering streets with it.

Baba Harare, most famous for his ‘lyrics’, will be bracing to prove again to his legion of fans that he is the only befitting ‘baba’ (father) of the capital city.

Posting on his Facebook Page on Monday, Baba Harare said he was willing to be part of those assisting Mesi to revive his career.

“Baba Paradzai Mesi has always inspired me as a Zinbabwean artist anoimba music yemuno muZimbabwe. The sad reality about our industry is that we don’t have an industry.

“What happened to Baba can happen to anyone of us. Imagine nekurira kwose kwavakaita he has to depend on goodwill. Ini hangu handina mari but ndine chirauro chekuredza hove,” he posted.

In the post Baba Harare goes on to plead to his fans to come in numbers in solidarity of Mesi. Mesi assumed the reins at sungura outfit Njerama Boys in 2000, and under him the group that was based near Njerama Hills in Muzarabani, enjoying tremendous success.

Hell broke loose in 2007 when the group split following a dispute over money they got from a live performance.

Eronzi Makina and other band members left the group to form Njerepamwe Boys that could not last the distance.

From then, Mesi struggled to keep the name and traded his guitar for cotton farming.

He tried to produce cotton in Muzarabani, but it failed to yield results.

This forced the gifted lead guitarist to sell his car, kombi and PA system to make ends meet.

The “Tirihuruva” hitmaker relocated to Glendale in 2014 where he tried to revive Njerama Boys but his efforts were in vain.

Things got worse as he could no longer afford to pay rent and fend for his children.

That is when he went to Nehanda Compound in Glendale where he stayed in a bedraggled thatched pole and dagga house.