Hande Zimbabwe- the full story

Imagine Zimbabwe having high speed bullet trains servicing Mutare -Victoria Falls route.

It might sound  far-fetched for a country saddled with unending economic challenges.

However, this has not stopped UK based Zimbabwean singer and producer- Jusa Dementor (real name Tawanda Sibotshiwe) from inspiring locals to dream big.

He recently released an online video for his song 'Hande Zimbabwe'.

In the video the artist dreams of a better Zimbabwe with fast trains, space projects and cars running on biogas.

Bulawayo24.com caught up with  Jusa Dementor and shed more light on his dream and musical journey.

Q. What's your full name?
A. Tawanda Sibotshiwe

Q. Stage name?
A. Jusa Dementor

Q. Target audience ....
A. Zimbabweans (as an artist) world wide ( as a producer)

Q. Theme and motive of song Hande Zimbabwe

A. It was to inspire and promote solutions based thinking.
To give Zimbabweans a glimmer of hope based on visual stimulation.

This song was meant to boost the faith of the young generation to see a better Zimbabwe before it materialises and manifests.
As faith is evidence of works not seen.

Q. How do you rate Zimbabwe music
A. I rate Zimbabwe music very highly.

In all the world we are one of the most versatile group of people.

Some might call it imitation and  some might call it copying.

I see it as interpretation of art. When i was growing up most students at the boarding school i attended at Kutama knew every new song and artists names, record labels and would enjoy dancehall music as if it where their own.

This ability to adapt and take ownership of music from a land they have never been too is a case to be studied. Zimbabwe music only lacks the financial and managerial machinery other territories enjoy. If those where available we would be dominating all world music markets without a doubt.


Q. Favourite artist...
A. Mine change every week.

Currently is a youngster called Ninja Kid from Chitungwiza. He is known as a Zimdancehall artist but his latest material is positioning him as a pop artist who can be just as welcomed as the rest of Africa's current stars.

From the look of his lyrics and delivery on the mic he is def one of my favourite at this moment.

Q. How is the reception of 'Hande Zimbabwe'
A.  It is very positive. The reception is as I hoped it would be.
A lot of people are inspired and can see the glimmer of hope through the lyrics and visual presentation.

I hope to see more artists, visual and audio coming up with more music that stimulates a positive outlook and ideas on how we can rebuild our nation, from mindset rehabilitation to technological advancements...

Q. What's best way of countering piracy....
A. I believe that price point and distribution networks are the key. If artists change their business models to make sure their CD is available nationwide at the same time with a good public relations strategy that leads to a climax.

It will reduce piracy a lot and also possibly suffocate the black market to the point of eradicating piracy altogether.

Another radical way is rather than fight those pirating.

Employ them as informal distributors with good incentives and recognition.

As the industry grows those same reformed pirates can be the store owners and distributors of future products.

The fact they are pirating means they are making money from it.

The fact they are making money means they are good at what they do.

Its a matter of transferring those skills to a formal structure.

Another way is digital distribution,   the way Junior brown released his hit single via whatsapp and mobile money payments. After all the age of CDs/tapes is slowly coming to its end.