TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
Legendary Zimbabwean hip-hop rapper Resilience GZE Chekera embodies the altruistic qualities of a genuine emcee intent on proliferating progressive and critical consciousness for the alleviation of the people’s material conditions; and, time and again, GZE always calls on us to be revolutionary.
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| PIC/Point Black Africa |
It is abundantly incontrovertible that GZE mirrors a consciousness of praxis that does not conventionally command coveted mainstream appeal. And his track record proves that he does not care much about superficial metrics.
To him, it is the message that matters the most—whatever subject he is addressing through his inimitable, fiery, reverent, graphically-rich, well-written, and legendary lyrical prowess. All perfected with his supremely eclectic technical abilities. Songs such as John Bhuru, Gaya Zimbabwe, The Cure, Rusambo, Chimurenga (Wadis), Yzia, Unity, Muchinjikwa, and much more are an unassailable attestation to this.
For GZE, music is therapy. It is the avenue for the defiant expression of the human’s vulnerabilities, strengths, hopes [or hopelessness], aspirations, traumatic experiences, achievements, and more—the expression of genuine art is the paramount display of real transformational love.
GZE’s new 2022 song and video Hondo Nerudo vindicates the above convictions. With his signature composed style of poignant lyrical delivery, GZE tells Zimbabwe that the only solution and cure to all our ills is a simple but not easy one—love. It is a radical message in itself because of how society is conditioned towards accepting an ethic of poverty, inequality, violence, domination, and death as the default order of things. But GZE tells us otherwise.
In Hondo Nerudo—and as gleaned from his Freestyle Fridays—GZE navigates a treacherous artistic consciousness in which he has to balance a morbid penmanship and a hopeful, charm-radiating penmanship.
He does so with enviable dexterity, proving just how he is deeply committed towards healing, given how the hopes of a young generation are scattered in an abyss of consumerism, existential and mental health crises, violence, domination, patriarchy, capitalism, drug abuse, social media abuse, et cetera.
The striking and clear-eyed rejection of capitalist inequality engendered by GZE in the Hondo Nerudo song and video is without fear: he says, just compare North and South Samora, Borrowdale and Mbare. The listener completes the equation for herself. He touches on pretty much every predicament we are dealing with in post-colonial Zimbabwe, and his answer is love.
He smashes rigid patriarchal notions that men cannot preach real love that transforms society for the better. Where there is love, there is life and not an obsession with violence, domination, and death.
We have to say, GZE’s new audio-visual exposition is overwhelmingly reminiscent of everything that bell hooks stood for. Or Paulo Freire. Or Fanon. Or Biko. Or Lumumba.
The video’s simple but up-close and realistic shots mirror everything that is wrong with contemporary society—the video is a revolutionary call towards real love and freedom.
GZE is a blessing to Zim Hip Hop. His love for the game is unparalleled. With the invaluable and ingenuous help from Point Black Africa, Resilience GZE Chekera is set to release an album soon (the album title bears his last name). And yes, we absolutely love what Point Black Africa is doing not only for Zim Hip Hop but for the entirety of the Zimbabwean music industry.
You can watch Hondo Nerudo official video by GZE below and share with us your thoughts as well:
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