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Zakaria ploughs back to community

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Sungura musician Nicholas Zakaria is well known for mentoring and nurturing talented musicians such as the late System Tazvida and Alick Macheso, among others. However, the Senior Lecturer as he is known by his legion of fans, has decided not only to help musicians, but the ordinary citizens and his community at large. In Chitungwiza […]

Sungura musician Nicholas Zakaria is well known for mentoring and nurturing talented musicians such as the late System Tazvida and Alick Macheso, among others.

However, the Senior Lecturer as he is known by his legion of fans, has decided not only to help musicians, but the ordinary citizens and his community at large.

In Chitungwiza Unit A where he lives, the left-handed guitarist has extended his helping hand through paying school fees for four under-privileged primary school pupils and three secondary school students.

“We have some people who are failing to pay school fees, but then I have decided to give assistance to four pupils at Fungisai Primary School and three students at Seke 5 Secondary School in Unit N because the future of this country is based on these youths. So if things go well, I will assist more children,” said the soft-spoken goateed musician.

Besides paying school fees, Zakaria is helping the Albinos Association of Zimbabwe in Chitungwiza, hosting charity shows for them to get finance to buy medication and other items for their survival. “We have time to go for shows meant to benefit albinos so that they can have money to buy what they need,” said Madzibaba.

The Goodwill Ambassador to Chitungwiza said he was setting up a music academy in the town which he said would be affordable to every musician, especially the upcoming ones who would have found it difficult to pursue other careers because of financial constrains.

“I have purchased equipment for a music academy I am setting up in Unit O. By August this year, it will be ready for use, but mainly it is meant for upcoming musicians who are facing constraints in the industry,” said Zakaria.

At the farm he is renting in Centenary, the Senior Lecturer said he had decided to employ local people there and said he was making plans to buy a farm which would assist locals with employment.

Zakaria has also embarked on a programme to let those who are still new in the music industry to use his instruments for rehearsals.

“I have given permission to those people who are just coming into the industry, and there are some who are coming from as far as Mutoko to use my instruments for rehearsing,” he said.

He said after setting up the music academy in June, he would work on establishing a recording company.

“I want to establish a recording company of my own because we should have a lot of recording companies, so musicians can choose the best for them,” he said. The Senior Lecturer said the experience of being an international haulage truck driver had enabled him to have that passion of assisting the community.

“A lot of international musicians usually give back to their communities, like rumba star Kofi Olomide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have personally seen a lot of underprivileged people being assisted,” he added.