Leonard Dembo's Twist In The Song

Listening to Leonard Dembo. An undisputed legend as far as Zimbabwean music is concerned. I might have erred there because, well I don't really know how to define Zimbabwean music. But that's for another day. Leonard was a genius. It's both his music and background that one can easily identify with. Maybe. Pardon my one-word sentences. They reflect, maybe badly, on my Dambudzo Marechera allegiances. Or do they? If so, it was unintentional. Back to Dembo, I was too young when he died young. I remember the day, probably the week, when he passed on. We had no radio for news. We used to rely on old newspapers and magazine pages - usually used to wrap soap - from the shops. Shops I said? Actually it was - and still it is - just one shop. Sorry, I digressed. I was talking about Dembo. The day he passed on, news traveled fast. Fast that even us, who used to rely on stale news and gossipers, got the news instantly. Everyone in our little village who could talk, talked about it. Both fact and fiction were offered. I remember consuming it all. It took me years to understand who he was. Still, I don't. I mean both the man and his works. 

The man and his words. His father passed on when he was still a little boy. His uncle took over custodianship of the children - Leonard and his siblings. Leonard's mother went back to her family. The family looked disintegrated. Leonard couldn't proceed with education. He dropped out of school. Calamity! Pause. Hope you read this paragraph with the song 'Babamunini'. If not, here's a little reminder. 'Babamunini hamungadaro, muchirega tine nhamo kubva zvakafa baba ka'. Mean something? It has to. 


The young Dembo went to Salisbury and started working for a bottling company. But he was also doing and pursuing music, an art he had learnt during his days as a herd boy. But I might not be talking about that today. Today my interest is in his lyrics. I mean, some of his lyrics. Listening to some of his songs, I wonder if he was cryptic by chance or by choice. Let's look at the song 'Kukura hakutani' (not sure if that's the correct title). But the words go like... 'Inga kukura hakutani mwana akakura tichiona, dai ndakaziva ndakamuti ndidewo. .... .... .... nhasi awe kushaina neawo vanomudawo'. So it talks about a boy who's lamenting over a lost opportunity to propose love to a girl. The girl was young then but has since grown into a fine young woman - who is already taken. And she's enjoying it. Slaying, according to today's lingo. Simple song right? Maybe not. The singer goes on to say... 'Nhamo ndihwo hupenyu hwedu vanhu, toseee. Nhamo hupenyu hwedu vatema nevachenazve, nhamo haisarure. Nhamo yedu tiri vaviri tikashinga tichakunda, ini neZimbabwe....' After listening to this part of the song, I played again trying to answer questions that had invaded me. A young man crying over a girl?  Is this even what this song is all about? If so then the concluding remarks are quite bizarre. Or am I failing to understand something? Was this song intentionally made cryptic or it was by default, by error? But would Leonard the Maestro make such errors? No, I don't think so. Damn, I have used double negatives! I always do. It might be criminal in the courts of grammatical law. But I don't think I still care though. 

Oops I digressed again! So much to say yet there's just but not enough time. Dembo didn't stop or start with the above song. There's another one, 'Paw Paw'. It's very simple and straightforward. A man away from his loved one telling her she's the only he loves. He's also imploring her to be faithful and keep it real. But then Dembo was at it again..., twisting it a little. 'Ndakakumirira huya mai waAfrika... Kubuda kwaro zuva ndotanga kugaya ndiri muAfrika...' Okay! Is this song referring to a real couple? A real husband (or fiancé) and wife (or fiancée)? So who's Afrika? Their child? But then he's talking about... 'Being in Afrika NOT with Afrika'. 'Kugaya ndiri muAfrika'. It's twisted. Did he twist it? 

He wasn't done yet. There are many other songs he did which I feel are cryptic. 'Musha Rudziiko', is another example. Given who he was, I feel Dembo had a message which he wanted to put across. Being an artist, he successfully managed to put it across. Yes, that's being a genius. Art is versatile and diverse and cryptic sometimes. Some meanings don't have to be found after all. That makes searching worthwhile. Don't get me wrong here, I'm still searching as well. I don't hope (wish) to find it anyway. Strange? I'm not an expert so... I would appreciate expert opinion on this. I'm just a listener who cannot even dance.