By Elizabeth Nyaguyo
Guitarist, comedian as well as an Afro-fusion artist Innocent Kufakunesu affectionately known as Sarungano has paid tribute to the late music icon Oliver Mtukudzi for nurturing him in the music industry.
In an interview with Sly Media during an online On The Set a social related programme, Kufakunesu said he is now someone in life because he took some of the encouraging words he was given by the late Dr Mtukudzi.
‘’Dr Mtukudzi used to teach me some of the things that I should master when playing a guitar until I become one of the best guitarists in this country,’’he said
He said that the late Dr Mtukudzi was unique in his own way, he was different from other artists in terms of his behavior.
‘’Dr Oliver Mtukudzi was a man of few words he does not like talking but he will just listen to your performance and speaks after.
‘’He will treat you like you a celebrity, he will be the first to greet you if you visit him at his Art Centre at Pakare Paye.
‘’He loved people, imagine at my age around 16 he embraced me and we started talking from nowhere,’’ said Kufakunesu.
He added that Dr Oliver Mtukudzi was the one who gave him the name Sarungano and he inspired him to start his own band.
‘’He advised me to start my own band and how to treat others well within the band.
‘’He gave me the name Sarungano because most of my songs I used to do a narration’’.he said.
Kufakunesu said that the death of Dr Mtukudzi left a gap in the music industry as well as a huge gap in the country.
‘’As a county we have lost a unifier the one who unity people through his songs like when he was singing in other countries people were like he is from Zimbabwe and we are Zimbabweans so he united people.
‘’He was someone who was removing separations within people, he was a product who made Zimbabwe to feel proud.
‘’Artists loose an advisor and a father figure this is why in the music industry there is no longer direction even at Pakare Paye things are no longer the same’’, said Kufakunesu.
