All hell broke loose on social media recently when a South African woman mocked Zimbabwean music, the Zimbabwean president and a Zimbabwean artist.
A woman with the handle @SisaMaqelee tweeted “The way Zimbabweans hype to our Music and South Africans is funny as their president who puts on a scarf (scarf emoji) when it’s blazing (fire emoji) hot (laughing tears emoji). Like Vele Don’t they have studios? Listen to your tall fake rasta (laughing tears emoji).”
Zimbabweans and some South Africans immediately reacted to this tweet and it spread like wildfire. Most people responded with a simple full stop (current trending response on Twitter where one posts a full stop to express how ridiculous they think the post is- so ridiculous it doesn’t deserve the energy exerted in typing a full response- period).
The source of discontent might not be the president wearing a scarf when it’s blazing hot because people laugh at presidents all the time all over the world. South Africans laugh at their president when he makes mistakes when reading speeches. Americans would laugh at Donald Trump’s hairstyle all the time. The issue is with mocking the Zimbabwean music scene and the “tall fake rasta”.
There are many rasta/dreadlock musicians in Zimbabwe. But only one tall popular one comes to many people’s minds. This artist has been at the centre of many debates. Criticizing this musician is like spitting on a national monument. People went as far as body-shaming the woman in a bid to vent their frustrations. The account was deactivated by the time this article was published.
@SisaMaqelee may have mocked the local music scene but was her mockery based on fact? Zimbabweans vibe to South African music…a lot. There are some places that play local music but it’s common to walk into bars and other recreational places and be welcomed by Amapiano or house music. How often does one walk into a bar in South Africa and find Zimbabwean music being played?
Could this be a sign that Zimbabwean music is not as palatable on the international scene? When genres are mentioned like Naija, Amapiano, Afropop etc, it’s easy for people from all parts of the world to also mention artists like Burna Boy, DJ Maphorisa, Davido, Cassper Nyovest, AKA etc. Yet even the most popular Zimbabwean isn’t mentioned as often on international platforms. When Beyonce collaborated with African artists on her Black Is King project, she worked mostly with South African and Nigerian Artists like Busiswa, Moonchild Sanelly, Tiwa Savage, Mr Eazi and others. This is because those are the names from Africa that show up most on the international scene.
One may argue that some artists like Shasha, Nadia Nakai, Oskido etc are popular in South Africa but they are Zimbabweans. The issue isn’t that they are Zimbabwean. Their songs are produced in South Africa. Not many Zimbabwean produced songs make it big on the international charts. Sometimes a song or two will make it, but not as much as those from South Africa or Nigeria. Although Sisa mocked the local music scene, her tweet is an eye-opener to how the music made by Zimbabweans is received globally. Most fans of local musicians are local or Zimbabweans based in the diaspora. How can local artists start making music that appeals to the global market?