SOUTH African music legend Ray Phiri gave a breathtaking show as he took his fans down memory lane at the Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel on Saturday evening.
Report by Nduduzo Tshuma
The show, which coincided with South Africa’s Freedom Day celebrations, was organised by the Embassy of South Africa and the Ministry of Trade and Industry in that country.
Phiri played in front of a full house of appreciative fans including Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operatives Development minister Sithembiso Nyoni, economist Eric Bloch and Zanu PF politburo member Abigail Damasane, among South African and local guests.
In his three-hour performance, Phiri had guests, including Nyoni, on their feet and dancing to yesteryear hits with the late Nana Coyote like Awuphinde Mzala, No Condom No Sex and Zakala Nganeno.
At the end of the show, Phiri was convinced by the crowd to perform two more songs.
In an earlier interview with NewsDay Entertainment, Phiri, who last performed in Bulawayo in 1989, said the show was meant to connect Zimbabwe and South Africa in a cultural and artistic way.
“We have always been better received in this part of the country perhaps because of the language compatibility between the locals and the South Africans,” he said.
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“We have to come together as Africans and identify our strengths and weaknesses and we are hoping to reconnect with musicians we once interacted with and new ones as well.”
Phiri has in the past collaborated with Zimbabwean music legends Oliver Mtukudzi and Louis Mhlanga.
The jazz legend said he still had vivid memories of his last show in the City of Kings when they opened for British reggae outfit UB40 at Queens Sports Club.
“We were greatly received by the crowd like I said earlier because of the language compatibility,” he said.
“There was a near riot when one of the devices used by UB40 had a malfunction, but because of the outstanding performance we had given, the crowd was appreciative.
“It is the day we outclassed UB40, an international outfit, because at the end, we played for a longer period than them.”
