Tuku gig wasn’t for profit: Organisers Nicholas Moyo

Nyore Madzianike Senior Arts Reporter
THE gig held on Saturday at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare in honour of the late Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi was not a profit-making event, organisers of the event have said.

“This was not a profit-making event at all,” said National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) director Nicholas Moyo.

He made the remarks following reports that the event was ill-timed, resulting in a poor turnout.

The NACZ director said as the arts governing board with the involvement of the Government, there was no way they could have planned to make a profit out of Tuku’s death.

“Any good critic knows that $10 cannot get you anywhere. This was just a crowd control measure. We had no target set to raise and why would we use the death of Tuku to raise money,” said Moyo.

In a statement, Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry indicated that some of the proceeds from the Tuku Concert will be committed towards some of the projects to which the late music icon was a patron.

Minister Coventry also said some of the money will be channelled towards the Arts Development Fund.

“Proceeds of the show will be channelled to some of the projects that the late Dr Mtukudzi patronised and some of it will be directed to the Arts Development Fund (ADF) cognisant of the fact that Dr Mtukudzi was a national Arts Council of Zimbabwe Board member whose wish was to seed to the ADF in order to promote and develop the arts,” she said in a statement.

Tuku left a number of projects, including the Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton, which was aimed at nurturing talent and developing artistes.

The Katekwe musician also had humanitarian work that he had been pursuing around the country before his death on January 23 this year.

Dubbed “Tuku-Celebrating a Legen”’, the concert saw artistes dishing top of the notch performances that left lasting memories etched in the minds of many a people.

The Saturday show saw local musicians, Bonnie Deuschle, Pastor Charles Charamba and his wife Olivia, Mbeu, Munya Mataruse, The Black Spirits, Selmor Mtukudzi, Peter Moyo, Orbert Chari, Killer T, Enzo Ishall, ExQ, Ammara Brown and Alexi Kawara taking to the  stage.

Rhumba musician Juntal, jazz crooner Bob Nyabind, his son Aggaba, and Zexie Manatsa also performed during the Saturday show.

South African musicians, Steve Dyer and Berita Khumalo also gave scintillating performances.

Mozambican Stewart Sepuma did not disappoint as well.

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