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Prosper Dembedza

Stanely Mushava Correspondent

Proda is a journalist while Stable is a soldier which probably explains the group’s exploitation of current affairs with a journalistic precision and militant approach.

Zim dancehall is the foremost medium for the social diaries of the “ghetto” — a term that young people use to describe high density suburbs in Zimbabwe.

The genre, popular as it is — and sometimes notorious — has not been able to sufficiently tackle the political questions of the day.

One group, Final Warning, though, has turned the flame up to chant down “Babylon” (a reference to the western capitalist/imperialist establishment) with a series of politically-themed dancehall tunes.

Final Warning, the dancehall duo made up of brothers Prosper (Proda) and Edward (Stable) Dembedza, has become a regular feature on ZBCTv with a prolific discography, mostly set to national events.

Proda is a journalist while Stable is a soldier which probably explains the group’s exploitation of current affairs with a journalistic precision and militant approach.

The group is dropping down a sustained torrent of singles to commemorate just about every event of national significance. With the Heroes Day coming up, the group has just dropped a video titled “Usakanganwe.”

In this latest offering, Final Warning reminds Zimbabwe that the nation “haffi” give “nuff respect” to the freedom fighters whose feats on the field of conflict won the country back from settler rule.

“The forest yields to the persistent hunter/Wresting the country from white settlers was a daunting task/ They took delight in the tribulations of black people/ Till Chimurenga war phased that out,” translates the opening verse.

Final Warning’s big break came with “Peace and Unity,” a song which denounced violence and urged one love across the political divide. The tune enjoyed heavy rotation on national television in the run-up to the 2013 harmonised elections.

The duo has since come to enjoy considerable reception in dancehall circles, getting to raise the curtain for international acts like Mr Vegas, TOK and Popcaan, and securing a permanent slot at keynote national events.

Final Warning’s story begins with a speaker on the veranda at a police camp in Harare. Proda, who pens most of the duo’s tracks, opened up to The Herald about the group’s seven year journey.

“We began by riding freestyle on the latest riddims to a modest crowd of fellow youths outside our residence at Braeside Police Camp,” Proda said.

At that time there was no defined pattern for their music. Any social diary that could get the “mafia” jumping would do as long as it rhymed to the beat.

That was 2008, the dark days of an unprecedented economic downturn, largely induced by Western institutions. As Sizzla puts it in “Show More Love to the Youths,” music was the only enjoyment because there was not enough employment.

For the duo, the sunny side of the situation was that it assured a regular audience for their backyard act.

“As time went by, the crowd was growing. We began to incorporate substance into our act. We had to polish our act in line with the growing appreciation for our music,” Proda said.

“Before long, we were being pressed with requests to record. We had not anticipated that, but recommendations to record kept increasing with each of our acts. In time, we seriously considered dropping a single.

“We did not have to agonise on what to record. I had always had this national consciousness passed down to me to me by my father who is a war veteran. Although we began with social commentary we soon ventured into political lyrics” he said.

First though, the brothers had to choose a name for their group. At that time, the riddim “Final Warning,” was all the rage and that settled the group’s problem.

They would record as Final Warning.

When the opportunity presented itself, the duo dropped the track “Copacabana” which was light-hearted commentary on one of Harare’s more populous termini in 2010.

While “Copacabana” was playing to considerable reception in underground circles, the group went back to the studio, this time with a fully-fledged political ditty entitled “Bvisai Masanctions.”

“We were experiencing the bite of sanctions big time. The song came out four months before the Anti-Sanctions Petition Campaign in 2011,” Proda said.

The song was tagged along, becoming one of the media implements of the anti-sanctions campaign. In time, the track ensured the group its radio debut.

“We went to the Ministry of Information with the single. There were many submissions besides ours so that there was really no guarantee of sailing through,” Proda said.

“However, I had a conviction that our lyrics would catch the ear of the ministry. Next thing, we had our song on air. We had made it,” he said.

Proda said after that second single, most of their music had political overtones, influenced by a nationalist consciousness. The duo records at Black Diamond Studios, although they still rely on trending riddims for their tracks.

“We are reaching out with the message to fellow youths and Zimdancehall is the most popular genre at the moment so we had to use it as our medium.

“However, besides the popularity of the genre with the youths, we were at home singing in it than any other genre,” he said.

The brothers are influenced by reggae thoroughbreds Bob Marley, Sizzla and Capleton who are unrelenting in their disparagement of the Babylon system.

“Locally, Cde Chinx and the late Simon Chimbetu are our icons because they have always been there for the struggle for black empowerment,” Proda said.

Proda said he is an ardent student of history, hence his attachment to the values of the liberation struggle.

“If you notice, one of our recent tracks comes down hard on divisive elements who are brewing discord in Zanu-PF,” he said.

“There is one leader with an electoral mandate to lead Zimbabwe. The rest must help him deliver instead of jostling for power.

“After all, the ones who are busy conspiring for posts are not doing enough to implement Zim-Asset in their constituencies. And yet that should be their responsibility,” he said.

Stable, the military half of Final Warning, could not be reached for his own account of the journey.

Other notable offerings from the group include “Indigenisation/ Zim-Asset,” “Happy Birthday Gushungo,” “Carnival,” “Unity MuZanu-PF” and “Tsvimbo Kuna Officer”.