By Silence Gwande.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) –
Bred in the remote area of Chivi District in Masvingo province, Alan Ketani Mushana has come a long way from riding on the back of a donkey as a child until at the age of 20. The donkey served as their only means of transport. His family was poor; in fact his courageous mother had to literally beg for food to feed them.
“I come from a hard background, from a poor family but I worked very hard to become what I am today and that has encouraged me as both preacher and poet to give hope to those who struggle so that they face every obstacle with strength and optimism”, said the devout Seventh Day Adventist Church.
All this has inspired him to write poems chronicling poetically what was happening in his life and in the societies, touching on real life experiences, the social ills and cultural decadence. His love for poetry since 2002 when he was doing his ordinary level has catapulted him into the hall of fame.
Having been inspirited and chirked by Pastor Aaron Rusukira who was behind his conversion to Christianity, Alan has chosen to emulate the revered and influential preacher to compose songs in a preachy manner using exhilarating language extremely rich in meaning, memory evoking and mind blowing. He tirelessly and ceaselessly sucks from Rusukira’s breasts of wisdom and to date he has managed to release two powerful albums though the first one was not officially released because it leaked before it was ripe and ready.
Almost in every street and corner of Harare, you hear songs like Makandiberekerei, Changamukai Vasikana, and the arguably best song on the album Ndichaiwana Mhinduro. The album title is Zvirevo.
You see many people scrambling to buy the compact discs (CDs) and in some instances the discs run short leaving people wandering up and down looking for them. A lot of people have been erroneously calling him Rusukira judging from their similar poetic diction that has fallen in love with many people in the country.
Zvirevo has become one of the most sought after albums in the country especially in Harare due to its compendious and poetic musical style. Many enjoy Mushana music but they don’t really know who he is but they rather call him the ‘new’ Rusukira.
Zvirevo album consists of 10 songs namely Ndichaiwana Mhinduro, Mambo ari Pamusoro, Hanzvadzi Dzorudo, Munamato, Mashoko Okuparadzana, Rufu, Ngwarai Vasikana, Makaoma, Nyika Yakanaka Kudenga and Makandiberekerei.
The song Ngwarai Vasikana, Alan encourages girls to abstain from sex before marriage as well as reminding them the sanctity of virginity as something a girl should be proud of. According to Mushana, the notion of virginity as supreme virtue of a bride has been eroded by cultural diffusion where girls are departing from their African norms and values of preserving virginity.
“Nowadays girls have the freedom to have sex when and with whom they want before they get married which is culturally and biblically wrong. That is why I wrote this song (Ngwarai Vasikana) to remind them that sexual experience before marriage is absolutely bad and they will definitely not get respect, honour and trust from their husbands when they are found not virgin”, said the father of one.
His song Makandiberekerei questions why some parents love educated and wealthy children more than others who struggle to make ends meet when in fact they are supposed give them the same parental love.
Ndichaiwana Mhinduro is regarded as the best of them all. Mushana touches on a number of issues that are eating into the sinews of the society and cultural values. In this song, the preacher is baffled by the people’s failure to safeguard the marriage institution due to infidelity. He eloquently stresses the need to understand Christian values to save marriages and feel satisfied with one’s own partner. He also castigates men who shamelessly chase teenagers as young as their children to sexually exploit them. In the same vein, he reprimands young girls who fall for these men as old as their fathers.
Miffed and puzzled by rampant witchcraft where witches and wizards prefer keeping reptiles to cattle and goats, the 31 year-old poet sternly warns them of the repercussions of witchcraft as it will end up destroying them. Despite tough times Christians face, the Zvishavane born artiste urges believers to remain faithful to God as faith is tested during trials and times of challenge. He reprobates in the strongest terms unbridled and morally reprehensible homosexuality and improper dressing that has become ingrained into a girl’s brain.
Mushana, a holder of Degree in Purchasing Logistics and Transport from Chinhoyi University of Technology is undoubtedly a great poet who has that fine combination of spiritual and feeling with poetic taste that aims at restoring and preserving our cultural values and norms.
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