BY SHARON SIBINDI
The fallout over a primary school textbook that claimed singer, Lovemore Tshuma, popularly known as Majaivana was dead continues, with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, NACZ, demanding that the offending book be withdrawn.
NACZ director, Nicholas Moyo has said the book’s authors should issue a public apology to the singer and retract their unfounded claims.
“This kind of behaviour by a publisher is unacceptable, that mistake is unacceptable,” Moyo fumed.
“It’s actually deplorable and we would rather the publisher withdraw the book.”
Moyo said Majaivana’s ethnicity was not the issue, but this was a matter of facts and principles.
“It could have been any other musician, for me the issue is about saying someone is dead when they are alive. It’s important for me,” he continued.
“We say the principle is that if the book comes, the government goes through all the processes, the publisher and the writer should be held liable and it’s unacceptable.”
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The book — Best Approach to Visual and Performing Arts — is for Grade 3 learners and was published by Priority Projects Publishing (PPP).
There has been an uproar over the book, with artistes and interested parties decrying the authors’ carelessness in saying Majaivana was dead.
Efforts to get a comment from the Sport, Arts and Culture minister Kirsty Coventry have been futile since Monday, while on Tuesday she was said to be in a Cabinet meeting.
Her aides promised she would respond but as of Tuesday night she had not done so.
The Education ministry was not available for comment.
Majaivana, whose music still fills his fans with nostalgia, has quit singing and presently lives in the United States.
