JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA
HERE is some very good news for all you reggae-dancehall enthusiasts in Zimbabwe — Buju Banton is on his way to Harare!
The Destiny singer will be in town to perform at Zimbabwe’s 45th Independence celebrations on 18 April 2025.
This will be 45 years after his fellow countryman, the late great Bob Marley, graced the same occasion when Zimbabwe marked its first day as a new independent nation on 18 April 1980.
In a historic and world-famous tour, Marley came to Zimbabwe, accompanied by his son Ziggy, and delivered a spellbinding show at a packed Rufaro Stadium in Harare as Britain’s Union Jack was lowered and the new African nation’s multicoloured flag hoisted.
While Buju might not be as big as Marley, he does however command widespread respect across the planet, and Zimbabwe is no exception.
The NewsHawks can reveal that the deal is as good as done.
Buju will also perform in Zambia and Malawi on his tour of the region.
“This is part of the Second Republic’s effort to unite people through song and dance,” a source said.
Asked who will curtain raise for the top billing Buju, the source said the concert will draw mostly reggae groups in the likes of Mannex, Ras Caleb and others.
However, a random check on Buju’s official website revealed that the concert is not yet being advertised.
Currently, the Grammy Award winner and his Shiloh Band are performing at a concert themed “Long Walk To Freedom – NY”.
The theme has been used to connect the reggae and dancehall superstar’s appearances on the global stage, following his almost decade-long incarceration in the US.
The very first “Long Walk to Freedom” concert was held on 16 March 2019 at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, and made history with an attendance of more than 30 000 people — many of whom flew in from overseas.
50-year-old Buju is one of the most significant and well-regarded artistes in Jamaican music.
He has collaborated with many international artistes, including those in the hip-hop, Latin and punk-rock genres, as well as the sons of Bob Marley.
Kingston-born Banton released a number of dancehall singles as early as 1987, but came to prominence in 1992 with two albums — Stamina Daddy and Mr Mention — the latter becoming the best-selling album in Jamaican history upon its release.
That year he also broke the record for No. 1 singles in Jamaica, previously held by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
He signed with the major label Mercury Records and released Voice of Jamaica in 1993.
By the mid-1990s, Banton’s music became more influenced by his Rastafari faith, as heard on the seminal albums Til Shiloh and Inna Heights.
In 2009, he was arrested for cocaine trafficking charges in the United States, his first trial resulting in a hung jury. His 2010 album, Before The Dawn, won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2011, he was convicted on the aforementioned criminal charge and was imprisoned in the US until December 2018, whereupon he was released and deported home to Jamaica.
