The Sunday News
Raymond Jaravaza, Sunday Life Correspondent
HE is worshipped and adored so much in Bulawayo that he reciprocated that love by penning a song that speaks to the hearts and souls of supporters of the oldest football club in the country – Highlanders.
Songs about Bosso are abound but none arguably beat the “anthem” by Freddy “Amadamara” Gwala whose lyrics question die-hard Amahlolanyama supporters if they attended a Highlanders match in the hit track “Tshilamoya”.
“Siyinqaba mfethu. You can’t talk about Bulawayo and not talk about Highlanders; I learnt that early on in my career when I started performing in the city. Highlanders and Bulawayo are one and the same thing, there is so much history between the two so writing the song Tshilamoya was very easy for me.
Freddie Gwala performing
“The love that the people of Bulawayo have for Highlanders is amazing. I just had to write that song,” Gwala told Sunday Leisure from his base in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Gwala’s love for the City of Kings is unparalleled.
He started performing in Bulawayo at the turn of the millennium, fell in love with the city and never looked back.
One incident that, however, still gives him goosebumps to this day is when skirmishes broke out at a sold-out show at
Barbourfields Stadium that authorities reacted by banning the muso from performing in the city for two years.
“That incident really broke my heart. Fights broke out at the show and people were hurt but unfortunately, I was blamed for the violence that broke out at Barbourfields Stadium and I was banned from Zimbabwe for two years.
“There is nothing I could do about it but to obey the laws of the country and I stayed away for that period,” reminisced the man who rose to fame with the song Amadamara in the 1990s.
For a musician worshipped and adored so much in Bulawayo, the irony is that back in his home country in South Africa, the name Freddy Gwala doesn’t carry so much weight; an assertion that he doesn’t disagree with.
“It’s the older generation that still resonates with my music here in South Africa because back in the day I used to sing a lot of songs that touched on issues such as prison life under the apartheid rule.
“Young people used to be arrested for petty crimes like failure to produce ipasa (identity document) to the police so I would sing about prison life to discourage the youth from committing crime.
“It’s true that my music is more popular in Zimbabwe than in South Africa and as a musician I have to embrace that,” said Gwala.
Gwala will be in Bulawayo in April to promote an album he is working on.
“The promoters I’m working with have assured me that all the necessary paperwork will be ready in April so that I can perform in Bulawayo. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time when I was denied entry into the country.
Barbourfields Stadium
“Freddy Gwala is still alive and kicking. To all my fans, the message is that I will be in Bulawayo soon to release my latest album there,” he said.
In 2012, Gwala arrived aboard a South African Airlink at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport but after some serious scrutiny with the immigration officials, he was denied entry for failure to produce a work permit that would have enabled him to perform in the country.
Does he still have his famous long black leather jacket?
“Freddy Gwala never performs in Bulawayo without that jacket. I only wear it on special occasions and this April, I’ll definitely bring it to Bulawayo for my shows,” he told Sunday Leisure with a chuckle.
