{"id":14077,"date":"2017-12-08T18:23:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T18:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/12\/08\/perceived-as-prophetic-of-a-bloodless-coup-zimbabwean-artists-profile-rises\/"},"modified":"2017-12-08T18:23:00","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T18:23:00","slug":"perceived-as-prophetic-of-a-bloodless-coup-zimbabwean-artists-profile-rises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/perceived-as-prophetic-of-a-bloodless-coup-zimbabwean-artists-profile-rises\/","title":{"rendered":"Perceived As Prophetic Of A Bloodless Coup, Zimbabwean Artist's Profile Rises"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Frank Chikowore<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

\"Jah<\/a><\/div>\n
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\n Amagra Photography\/Courtesy of the artist
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Zimbabwe’s bloodless coup, which took place in mid-November and brought to an end<\/a> the 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe, certainly had its political casualties. With an uncertain future ahead the artist Jah Prayzah, born Mukudzei Mukombe, appears to be benefitting from a serendipitous album release, seen by some as prophetic of the dramatic November change.<\/p>\n

Prayzah, born Mukudzei Mukombe on July 4, 1987, has seen his popularity spike as never before in the wake of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ascendance to the presidency. Everyone, from the elderly to kindergartners, can be heard in the streets singing songs from Kutonga Kwaro<\/em>, the album Prayzah released Oct. 13 \u2014 almost exactly one month prior to Mugabe’s ouster.<\/p>\n

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Prayzah’s fans describe Kutonga Kwaro<\/em> as prophetic, as if the singer knew that the military \u2014 whose uniform he performs in \u2014 would imminently intervene in Zimbabwe’s political affairs. Indeed, some of the lyrics in its title track seem to be praising the military for seizing control: Prayzah laments, in the vernacular Shona language: “Behold, I am here, the soldier is ruling, he makes the orphans happy… “<\/p>\n

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In another, “Ndin’Ndamubata” \u2014 which translates literally to “I have caught him, do you want to be happy?” \u2014 Jah Prayzah could appear, in hindsight, to be asking Zimbabweans if they are happy that Mugabe had been forced to vacate the presidency.<\/p>\n