The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu
ON the eve of the release of his eighth album, and despite a string of accolades given to him over the years, Jeys Marabini feels very much like someone whose talents and efforts have not been appreciated enough.
After 28 years in the music industry, any discussion about music or musicians from Bulawayo in which his name is mentioned is probably not worth having. Any promoter worth his salt knows that they cannot have a show in the City of Kings without considering his name.
As such, he has become a permanent fixture on posters whenever a foreign act is imported to thrill Bulawayo music lovers on any stage. Younger musicians also never hesitate to drop his name whenever they are asked to mention any of their role models from the city. Such is the power of his name.
Yet despite the pull of his name, Jeys has also been singing the same song that many artistes from the City of Kings have been singing since time immemorial. It is an anthem that many are familiar with, the “We are not appreciated by the people of Bulawayo” anthem that artistes, young and old, sing regularly.
Jeys, like many before and after him, feels like a caged bird in Bulawayo. His cries have not been heard and he fears they may only be heard after he is taken by his maker.
Over lunch at a local restaurant where smoked brisket, roasted lamb and chicken casserole were on the menu, he simply sipped on a fizzy drink as he told Sunday Life about his worst fears.
“I know that one day when I finally decide to quit, my music will start getting played all over the place. People will start saying this was good. This will probably happen when I’m not even on this earth anymore which is really sad because a musician needs to enjoy while they’re alive and he can perform and see the people’s joy when he does that,” he said.
When Marabini launches a ten-track album on 31 August at Bulawayo Theatre, he will be looking to turn the tide. Signs however, have not been encouraging as other artistes have failed to garner the support that Marabini feel likes they deserve.
“We have a challenge because our people don’t rise up and support their own. The problem is that I don’t even think the people of Bulawayo know what they have against local artistes. When we talk about this people just say we’re cry babies but that is not the case.
“Look at a person like Sandra Ndebele. She has been trying her level best. If you look at a song like Ngizwile, its quality is on the same level with that of the house music that we get from South Africa and people would love and play that song if it was from an artiste from there and not Sandra.
“Again, if you look at someone like Madlela Skhobokhobo, he had the most popular song to come from this part of the country for over a year. It should have set him up for life financially. We should be hearing that Madlela has a house in Hillside but we don’t see the returns,” he said.
According to Marabini, artistes are facing down the barrel of a gun in Bulawayo, with the treatment of self-exiled Lovemore Majaivana an example for artistes from Bulawayo who are currently trying to make hay while in their prime. Marabini was one of the last promoters to bring Majaivana to the City of Kings at the turn of the century and remembers his anguish at the lack of support he got.
“If Majaivana heard that people were now supporting their own music perhaps he would consider coming back. This is a protest from him. I don’t want to get to the stage where I wish to call it quits like Majaivana but people have to support me. In all honesty it affects us that Majaivana called it quits because nothing has changed since those days. I’ve stood for the people of Bulawayo and I’ve never left but it’s hard sometimes,” he said.
With his eighth album on the way, Marabini now wants music fans from the City of Kings to finally show appreciation for the craft, determination and hard work behind his music. According to him, they can begin doing so by turning up on 31 August.
“We don’t need millions of people as artistes. For example, the Bulawayo Theatre only carries 300 people so all we need are 300 people to fill that place. Are we saying that we can’t get that amount of people to come support us?
“I want to do this until I feel like I can’t anymore. I haven’t given up yet. However, I’m also a human being and if I work for a year trying to impress our people then on 31 August if only 50 people are there it will affect me. But for now I haven’t given up yet. I won’t give up until Majaivana comes back,” he said.
The artiste said that people should expect the usual blend of entertainment and social commentary on his latest effort. After 28 years in a music industry where he has felt underrated at times, Marabini pointed out that he knew a thing or two about hardship.
“I address a lot of social problems in this album. As musicians we hear the people’s cries and try to put them in song. We talk about life. I’m trying to be positive about life by making some songs that uplift people spiritually.
“As a musician I believe that my 28 years in the music industry I’ve got a lot of life lessons to share. Not all days are the same and some are harder than others. So I believe that there’re things that people can learn from my life,” he said.
