Zimbabwe News Update
newziana
1 min read
It was the catchy songs sung during pungwes, which were held at their home during the liberation struggle that made the veteran musician and now pastor leonard karikoga zhakata fall in love with making music. During the struggle for independence, pungwes were nocturnal mobilisation gatherings used to educate people on the importance of the liberation war. These gatherings were characterised by song and dance, punctuating important lessons about the ideals of the armed struggle and mobilising the masses. Freedom fighters used these gatherings to endear themselves to the people, which was a key aspect of the struggle for independence. For zhakata, their homestead was located at the foot of the mountain, where the freedom fighters camped during the day.
At night, they would gather at his home for pungwes. He said that after independence in 1981, he started to write his own songs before teaming up with his nephew, thomas makion, to form their first band, the social kids. “my career began during the liberation struggle. Our home was a base for the comrades; they would be in the mountains during the day and then come to our house in the evenings. It was a place where pungwes were held, and you know, you would spend the whole time singing pungwe songs, and that’s how i started to love music,” he said. Zhakata said that when they went to the united kingdom in 1991 for about three months, they had the opportunity to tour the uk and perform, which enabled them to bring back a pa system. Source: newziana
