ZHAKATA'S GOSPEL SOMERSAULT

Leonard Zhakata

Zora music exponent Leonard Zhakata’s latest offering indicates a transition from liberation theology to prosperity gospel.

A closer examination of Zhakata’s popular tracks “Mugove” and “Dhonza Makomborero” point to this theological somersault.

The impression is that the songs either starkly contrast or are two halves of the same jigsaw puzzle.

The older song springs out of a poor man’s anguish and invokes God’s intervention against poverty, inequality and injustice.

The latter, to the polar extreme, is a love letter to God from a persona basking in the overflow of both spiritual and material blessings – a celebration, even, of the answer to Mugove, his 1994 prayer.

Christian Entertainment looks at Zhakata’s theological coming of age in light of the complementary messages of the two songs and their corresponding spiritual settings.

While Zhakata maintains that he has always been a Christian who sang gospel music which people circumscribed as social commentary, his latest album “Zvangu Zvaita” is his first overtly gospel effort.

The talented composer who was at the top of his game during the nineties had an obscure patch and last romped to the pole position in 1999.

Since then he has appeared in the media, more often for the perceived political undertones of his music – an interpretation he denies – than for the popular reception of his music, though he has maintained a loyal contingent of fans.

The Zora king’s turning point was his chemistry with Prophet Makandiwa’s UFIC where the man of God reportedly prophesied that God has called Zhakata to be a bishop.

The musician was marked out for pastoral grooming, a development which made him an object of media speculation and popular attention.

Late 2013, a year after the prophecy, he made decisive strides out of the hinterland where his music was eliciting lukewarm reception with a biblically-themed album entitled “Zvangu Zvaita.”

Although Zhakata’s rebound was not an all-out gospel offering as had been anticipated, the album was jam-packed with gospel messages and all the featured songs are allusive to and consistent with the Bible.

In fact each song, be it about prosperity, love or fidelity, locates the place of God for each social phenomenon.

“Dhonza Makomborero,” the title track, has stood out as the crowds’ favourite and has shot to the pole position on Radio Zimbabwe and National FM charts.

Clearly, one of the rich pickings of the year, the song is staking its claim among Zhakata’s all-time hits.

Unlike equally hyped artist conversions which failed to last the distance, whatever Prophet Makandiwa told Zhakata does not look like seed on the dry ground or among thorns if the bishop-in-waiting’s lyrical maturation is anything to go by.

With “Dhonza Makomborero,” Zhakata knocks the door for a seat among seasoned psalmists, owing to its infectious fealty to God.

Before Zhakata had set his eyes on the pulpit, if that is the case, he also had occasional moments of inspiration whereby he intimately invoked the heavens for intervention.

This phase, however, cannot be properly classified as gospel, due to the artist’s ambiguous approach to spiritual questions back then.

There are instances where he was at home invoking ancestors’ help as in “Shungu Dzemoyo;” there must even be wherein he questions the moral certitude of Christianity – the one which partly sounds “shoko parakagunzva hana dzedu takatendeuka rungwananangwana.” My memory is rather hazy on this one.

However, there was a steady outpour of spiritually themed messages most of which dovetail with what is called the liberation theology, that is, a Christian outlook which confronts the problems of poverty and injustice.

There were also intimately spiritual offerings, notably "Segwayana," “Gomba Remarara,” “Kundiso,” “Tarisiro,” but then almost every artist has such moments and much of these are not gospel in the sense of being Christ-centred.

One was recently reworked by popular gospel artist Sabastian Magacha into a rendition entitled “Kwekuturira” as part of his African Praise project.

“Mugove” is an epitome of the pro-poor angle assumed by his music at the time. Close to 20 years on, Zhakata, the bishop-in-waiting drops the stellar, “Dhonza Makomborero,” not so much contrasting but an apparent thematic continuation of “Mugove.”

In “Mugove,” the liberation theologian pleads “Dai zvaikwanisika, Tenzi, maigara matare nengirozi dzenyu, motiburusira Makomborero isu venhamo (If it was possible, Lord, you would convene a session with your angels and send down blessings for us the poor.)”

 Bitterly out of favour with fortune, the persona pleads: “If you have anything in store for me, Father, I request for my portion while I am still alive, Lord; see I am being worn out like a cloth by the rich while I have nothing of my own.”

“Dhonza Makomborero” comes in as an affirmation of this prayer. Zhakata, as it were, celebrates with the Psalmist, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.”

“Things have worked right for me, I used to cry for the face of God; I used to cry for mercy. Now the sacred face has lighted up my countenance, the sacred hand is stretched out to me, O my heart accept with thanksgiving,” Zhakata celebrates.

It’s nothing short of a somersault from the activist for whom complaining was a virtual trademark to a grateful believer.

Possibly, the explanation is that poverty is a permanent condition in this side of eternity but from those who seek and ask and knock, God will not hide his face forever.

Liberation theology attempts to fix the world but the disappointments of history points to an inherently flawed civilisation. Prosperity gospel speaks of life enhancement one individual at a time. Possibly, this is Zhakata’s somersault.

Could this not be the reason why, Job, the oldest books in the Bible and one of the most beautiful epics to date, anticipates: “When men are cast down, you shall say there is lifting up?”

It is not given us to change the world in this side of eternity but that does not mean we defer our all our hopes to eternity. To those who believe, blessings are plenty and to spare in this life and in the life to come.

Zhakata’s DVD for “Zvangu Zvaita is tentatively slated for release next month. The tracks “Ishe Anesu,” “Rutendo Panashe,” “Dofo Pahunhu,” “Dollar Boy,” “Chapter Yerudo” and “Wakarimira Vamwe” make up the well-received album.