BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO
LEADER of Vadzimba, a Chimurenga music band, Washington Guveya has threatened to take legal action against Jonathan Maruza who frontlines Vadzimba VeMbira outfit for “stealing” his band name.
Vadzimba, a Highfield-based band, was a force to reckon with in the mid-1980s to early 1990s with its Chimurenga traditional beats.
Guveya, who is also the outfit’s lead guitarist, told NewsDay Life & Style that he discovered their name had been “stolen” after bumping into a social media Facebook page Vadzimba NeMbira administered by Dinnas Kamushinda.
“You don’t just wake up and say we are Vadzimba. Just putting the word Vadzimba on their band name is an issue. They should leave our name when the situation is still fine, if they agree not to use our band name, our dispute will end there. But if they become adamant I am going to sue them,” he said.
“I once talked to Dinnas and he said he did not own the band. He then directed me to Jonathan Maruza who said they were going to discuss the issue. If they don’t co-operate, my lawyer will take action because he knows the matter.”
He added: “We named ourselves Vadzimba because we are hunters. Traditionally, people hunted in the forest and nowadays, we are hunting for cash through our musical talents. We sing for the nation and world at large.
“We don’t come from the forests empty handed. We are spiritual hunters, we first consult the spirits and we then go hunting after the greenlight.”
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Repeated efforts to contact Maruza for comment were fruitless.
Guveya said their last album, Guruuswa, was released in 2019 and were working on a single titled Mabhazi.
Vadzimba’s band is made up of Guveya, Michael Sengwe, Everson Gore, Cuthbert, Brezhnev Guveya, Norman Bwadabwakuvava, Obey Gurende and Irene Nhemachena.
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