Zimbabwean Dancehall sensation Winky D has finally spoken about the Kwekwe incident which saw him and his Vigilance Band being pelted with bottles by some hoodlums.
Below is Winky D’s official statement:
“Gafa Address
Management would like to express its sincere gratitude to Blessed Magafas, music lovers and well wishers for the support accorded to us over the past few days.
We kindly take note of your concerns and questions, and, would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate your kind dedication of Psalms 23 and 91, as a must read in this time going forward.
Answers to the majority of your questions remain more than apparent, in as much as, the general implications of this period are not so obvious.
What is glaringly obvious, thus far, are the physical and psychological effects of the recent incidents on the artist, band members and music lovers who had attended the show. They witnessed things that even dearly departed musicians never anticipated would characterise a musical concert.
At family level, the feedback Management got from the artist, band members and show attendees, was that it is critically important to acknowledge the danger that hovered over them on Christmas day as real, and, going forward, Management should always consider that, at the end of it all, most of us have young families to be looked after, and, there is an urgent need to initiate deliberate efforts to put them out of harm’s way at all considered costs. As such, Management hereby wishes all concerned, sufficient healing to ensure that the damage does not continue to have a grip over their feelings, lives and hopes.
The objective of Winky D’s music, from the first album titled, The Devotee (short for “The Poor People’s Devotee”), has always been and remains up to this day, to generate collective hope amongst the poor, especially the ghetto youths who are often born naturalised to think that they will never get a chance to swim out of the endemic sea of poverty constituted by their immediate context. The artist does not belong to any POLITICAL OUTFIT. He still aims at fostering a running thread of collective hope in ghetto life, which is a synonym for suffer life. He envisions a situation in which all the poor people can come to a realisation that hope does not kill.
Recent songs which were misinterpreted as political commentary, should be taken for what they really are, SOCIAL COMMENTARY. More often than not, they point at the obvious and unsaid rather than the abstract. Everything the artist chants on stage is merely meant to connect his performance sets and give art a theatrical form.
The artist never recognised the risks of being devoted to this cause till his last Christmas day, a show that all members of the Vigilance crew would so much want to flush out of their living memories. Their perceived musical vigilant cause came head on with real vigilantes. We had been forewarned about this impending attack though never anticipated the scale and intensity of what then took place. It is alleged that the plan was being circulated on various whatsapp groups.
Out of caution, Management had engaged the Promoter telephonically on several occasions to verify whether he was aware of the same. We were sold assurances to the effect that the threat had since disappeared after his intervention. We were also offered an escort of 21 bouncers, 15 police men with dogs and 10 military personnel. The Promoter went on to instruct us to call his organising team as soon the artist was a few kilometres from Kwekwe to organise for a vehicle change and security escort. We were however sceptical of this arrangement and proceeded to the venue without anyone’s assistance.
Given these circumstances we were on high alert throughout.
The last message sent to Management by the Promoter was that the artist was not supposed to play his latest song “KaSong Kejecha”. Which to say the least remains a shock without cause.
Towards the objective of carrying out the planned attack, machete wielding assailants made bush follow ups and searched rooms. Another group was reportedly said to be waiting to ambush us in Kadoma, however, upon tip off we avoided the obvious route to Harare. We still thank God for guiding us to safety through different routes. Roads were temporarily blocked, but all of this was in vain.
We realised how the noblest energies could be subverted in the name of expedience, how narrow interests could be used against a collective expression of a ghetto discontent constituted artist voice.
I am sure that cheap versions of “absolute truths” are already being peddled. Programmed applauders of everything anti-Winky D should realise that this is no longer the perceived musical beef terrain, (haisi kids game) but real life situations, wherein, had the worst happened, we could have been writing this near the smoke or harmony of a funeral procession.
The story being sold that the artist arrived late for the performance is far from the truth. It’s a falsehood meant to spoil the truth. As always, the artist was on time and ready to perform as per allocated time, his performance was supposed to start at 2:30 and the 0345am being peddled around, is a time at which the artist and his crew were in the midst of scurrying for dear life.
PREMISED ON THE FOREGOING, IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SAFETY, WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THAT WINKY D WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PERFORM IN KADOMA ON THE 31ST OF DECEMBER, 2018. WE DON’T FEEL SAFE AT ALL. SINCERE APOLOGIES TO THE KADOMA FANS WHO WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS USUAL FIREFUL GIG.”
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