Zimbabwe: Winky D Sings About Poverty Reduction

Zimbabwe: Winky D Sings About Poverty Reduction

Sifelani Tsiko for the Herald

Harare -

Popular reggae dancehall artiste Winky D affectionately known to his legion of youthful fans as “Di Bigman” sang about poverty plaguing Zimbabwe’s ghettos at a recent show drumming up support for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals to end extreme poverty and hunger in the country.

His rapid fire chatting and powerful singing sent crowds crazy at a musical concert held under the Kick Out Poverty — Stand Up and Take Action campaign by the United Nations Millennium Campaign. His evocative title tracks “Rokesheni” and “Mabhebi ekuSabhabha”, which have achieved anthemic status in the ghettos of Zimbabwe speak powerfully about the widening gulf between the rich and the poor, the affluent, the miserable and the yearnings of the ghetto youth living under tough and hostile conditions.

When the versatile singjaying-style vocalist with a gruff gravelly tone took to the stage, the crowd went wild causing chaos near the stage.

The crowd sang along, chanted, blew whistles and vuvuzelas as Winky D belted his popular tunes. This way, Zimbabweans joined and added to the sounds of noises emanating from villages, towns and cities around the world as part of the three day mobilisation “Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise for the MDGs” campaign to reaffirm their commitment to track and support their countries’ achievement of the Goals. Jazz sensation Victor Kunonga and gospel artiste Pastor G, the country’s premier reggae group — Transit Crew and the St Giles All Souls Methodist and Anglican Church choral groups also wooed fans with their performances.The St Giles Marimba Band also got a standing ovation for its soothing mbira rhythms.But Winky D’s rare ability to fuse passionate lyrical styling with simple powerful rhythms thrilled the fans and sent the girls screaming.

He stole the limelight. Winky D has helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of local Shona ghetto lingua and township subject matter. With his lyrical ammunition, honed vocal skills and style, Winky D emerged at the concert as a brilliant and passionate performer appealing to scores of enthusiastic students.”Winky D’s tunes are wicked,” said a UZ law student. “He uses the local Shona language with high impact that appeals to the masses. “He has successfully challenged the dominance of the Queen’s Language (English) in the reggae dancehall genre.” Somewhat controversial – advocating compassion for the poor black ghetto youth, Winky D now ranks arguably as the most popular dancehall reggae artistes of the time as he churns out tunes that take in a range of genres from dancehall, RnB and hip-hop arrangements.

This campaign, co-ordinated worldwide by the Global Coalition Against Poverty, has long been active in Zimbabwe. On September 17-19, people across the globe turned up the volume on their call for heads of state gathering at the United Nations on September 20-22 to demonstrate leadership in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).