Compulsive psychosis of Thomas Mapfumo

The recent 71st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, was not without its fair share of the charade. What with powerful western countries' shameless defiance to efforts aimed at democratising the mother body's Security Council. Ironically, pugnacious they have been in harping about democracy when in actual fact they have been found wanting in practising that which they bellicosely preach to low Hades. Not that this is anything out of the ordinary because these countries are the major beneficiaries of the injustice that has become the hallmark of the United Nations and reforming their tool for conquest is never going to be a stroll in the park.

The circus in the 71st session seems to have been aptly complemented by pitiful and futile attempts of malcontents under the #this-and-that or whatever roll of shame who tried to cause a stir under global glare by raising ludicrous accusations against His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe. Their demonstration never stirred a ripple and was countered by progressive Americans who would not brook such affront in their backyard. It's like a family being invited to a neighbour's homestead and a son or daughter taking this as an opportunity to denigrate the patriarchy.

Honestly, had it not been for a few usual suspects such as Evan Mawarire and Thomas Mapfumo, one would have been forgiven to think that this was a rented crowd from god-knows-where except Zimbabwe because the attendance on the streets of New York in contrast with the pomp and fanfare that characterised the run-up to the so-called anti-President Mugabe demo is hard to reconcile. In fact, the Mawarires and Mapfumos are getting more mileage from this article than they did from their misadventure in America.

Talking about Mapfumo, he seems to have found a willing band member in Mawarire and even though their discordant voices fail to strike a melody, they nonchalantly continue to bore everyone but themselves as they sing for their supper in a foreign land. Donald Trump has surely sent shivers in many quarters with his promises of mass deportations should he ascend to the presidency.

Now, Mapfumo is said to have chased CIO agents in New York and, being a ghetto boy used to chasing thieves and other no do-gooders in the hood, I couldn't help but try to visualise the scene as he battled the men in dark suits. Come to think of it, from the video footage, there was no chase! Nothing, save for a female voice off-camera pleading to be recognised by two ordinary looking men who appeared to be minding their own business. And, oh, there was a punctuation of expletives that Mapfumo persistently sprayed on the two, which Zimbabweans had hoped Mapfumo would outgrow with age. But then, once a skunk, always a skunk.

However, this is not to lose sight of the immense contribution he made to the music industry in the chimurenga genre. Nonetheless, such feats pale into insignificance in comparison to the low depths to which he has allowed himself to sink in an attempt to remain politically relevant in the detractor circles. I was taken aback by his preposterous testimony that Chatunga, the president's son, had been arrested in Dubai with a planeload of drugs, resulting in the payment of a $1.5billion ransom by the First Family and, by extension, Zimbabwe to avert the execution of the son.

Correct me if I am wrong, but such an arrest would have attracted international publicity and a trial would have been held, none of which happened. In any case, the Middle East, just like the Far East, is not a favourite of drug peddlers and mules alike because of strict anti-drug laws. More than 2000 people have been executed this year alone in Indonesia.

During the flopped demonstration, Mapfumo's preoccupation with the First family's children seemed to border on compulsive psychosis. Even off-microphone, a voice or two could be heard picking holes in his grandiose propaganda bait because he seemed to be the only one who knew that had such information that had eluded even international media houses and their highly paid well-placed sources.

He attempted to impugn that the $15billion of diamond revenue that President Mugabe alluded to was frisked to line the pockets of the First Family while proffering no credible evidence except that, "I know this. Ask me and I will tell you."

If information really is power, then it has left Mukanya utterly vulnerable because Zimbabweans are fully aware of the reasons behind his self-imposed exile. Fearing being held to account in court following allegations of being part of a syndicate of car thieves marijuana runners, he absconded. He was not the first and will definitely not be the last because, already, Mawarire is the newest baby in the home. Mapfumo, just like his latest sidekick, sold a dummy to the gullible American administrators that he had been hounded out of Zimbabwe for his stance against ZANU PF. What hogwash!