THE corruption and bad governance that characterise President Robert Mugabe’s government, which spawned the #ThisFlag protest movement spearheaded by Evan Mawarire, has inspired an upcoming reggae artiste, Denzel Mushonga, to pen the song Rise Up Zimbabwe, where he urges Zimbabweans to demand their rights.
BY LORRAINE MUROMO
Known as Mushy in music circles, Mushonga told NewsDay recently that he was disturbed by the police brutality witnessed during the stay away called for by Mawarire, as well as government’s ineptitude in dealing with corruption, which has continued to bleed the country dry.
“Rise Up Zimbabwe, to me, is more than just a song. It is a prayer. The message is to unite Zimbabweans, so they work towards building a better nation. We are saying no to corruption, abductions and police brutality,” he said.
The video of the song has garnered more than 2 000 YouTube views to date, but the chanter said, although he was scared following government’s threats that it would soon deal with social media users fomenting an uprising in the country, he was prepared for any eventuality.
“Am I not scared? Yes I am, honestly, because I want to see my son grow one day. But who cares anymore? People have suffered, people’s dreams, even my own, are going down the drain. I want my son, one day, to be proud of me, but I believe in God. He is the divine protector,” he said.
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Mushonga said he drew inspiration from Bob Marley and Lucky Dube, who sang songs that touched on political and socio-economic issues affecting ordinary people.
“I am not committing a crime and if Zimbabwe was paradise, we would not be having all this,” he said.
In Rise Up Zimbabwe, Mushonga castigates government’s plans to introduce bond notes as a stop-gap measure to the currency crisis bedevilling the country.
Given the increasing anti-government sentiments in the country, the catchy song is set to ruffle the establishment’s feathers at a time pockets of resistance have been witnessed around the country.