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Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition to launch protest music CD
Lance Guma, SW Radio Africa
June 06, 2007

http://www.swradioafrica.com/News060607/CRISIScd060607.htm

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition in South Africa will this Friday launch protest music CD's by Zimbabwean artists living in that country. Dubbed the 'Isivumelwano-Tiripachirangano' CD launch, the project brought together Durban based Timothy Rukombo and his band plus another group called Abanqobi Bomhlaba. According to Nixon Nyikadzino a press officer in the Coalition, two albums will be launched and both of them are aimed at encouraging people in the diaspora to take an active part in political activism. Nyikadzino said the albums would also be used to encourage activists based in Zimbabwe to soldier on in the struggle just like what used to happen during the liberation war.

Explaining the title of the first album he said 'Tiripachirangano- Isivumelwano' was the title of a touching song that Zimbabwean activists who were tortured after the Save Zimbabwe Campaign prayer rally were singing when they were being led to court. The other album is titled 'Varovereyi'. He says the protest music CD's will be instrumental in sending a message to Mugabe's regime that those fighting for change will not give up and will keep plugging away. He says as the Crisis Coalition they will use their regional civic society networks to distribute the CD's. They will also rely on private and independent radio stations broadcasting to Zimbabwe to get airplay for the protest music.

Several community radio stations operating in the Limpopo area will also get the CD's as thousands of Zimbabweans are said to be living there. At the launch on Friday, Nyikadzino says they will distribute copies of the CD's to the various media who will be in attendance and also ensure Zimbabweans present will get copies. Asked if they could distribute the CD's in Zimbabwe given the level of repression, he said this type of music was very popular despite the fact that state broadcaster ZBC banned such songs on their radio stations.

NB: This week on Behind the Headlines, Lance Guma speaks Bongani Nxumalo a protest musician based in South Africa who took part in the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition music project.

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