Roki’s Mafuta music video is top-notch quality, state of the art if I’m to sprinkle some extra sugar dust on top. However watching it, going through it, and living through it, I couldn’t help but feel mocked as I felt like everybody in the video was dancing, very well I might add, in celebration of how they’d managed to pull off making a whole song where you hardly can make out what he’s actually singing or saying, save for the Mafuta part of course. Like honestly, for real y’all, to be frank, watched it the first time, and somewhere in the middle treading into the last quarter of the video, I actually asked myself, what’s he saying though, insert green lady emoji with her hands up. …with the blonde hair, not because I’m non-black but my hair’s blonde right now so giggle.giggle.giggle. Yeah, I wonder how you read that.
To be honest, my initial reaction was I felt evaded by the lyrics and the message, but I couldn’t be mad or hang onto the frustration because the sonic production of the song and the upbeat, rhumba sounding elements fused with gospel vibrations, and not to mention the dancers, made it impossible not to throw it out the window just yet because there’s something there.
As it turns out, the Zimbabwean audience has slowly unconsciously adapted to December hit songs, these are intently seasonal but also consistent tracks, keDecember or more well known as masongs epaChristmas. Com’on we all know these, and better yet love them as they’ve elevated to cultural national treasures as almost anyone from anywhere knows and connects to it. I’m talking about the Madhawus from Alick Macheso’s 2003 Zvido Zvenyu Kunyanya, Reverend and Friend’s 2015 Ebenezzer, Winky D’s Disappear, you can name the rest. And now, our beloved Roki attempts to do the same with his elusive Mafuta banger.
Essentially, or rather basically, Roki’s on about the grace of the Lord and how he’s zorad him Mafuta. If you know, you know. Loosely Translated: how he has oiled him with sanctified oil. It’s a record that looks to celebrate God’s grace and wondrous mighty nature, attesting to the fact that nothing’s impossible with the Most High. And it’s a message that’s come during this festive time, as we commemorate the Holy Son’s birth, so basically, Roki wrote Jesus a birthday song. Do we like it? Are we going to sing it through Christmas, or play Charakupa denga tenda?
See dear reader, I’m going to need you to zone in a tunnel vision here, forget the jibber jabber up there, I penned that before Christmas, and my guess is even if it was up timely it wouldn’t deter you reading it after, equating to being late to the party in a sense. Either ways, essentially, the record is about redemption, using the path of divine being and intervention to put back together the pure sanctified pieces left of you, in pursuit of an ultimate redemption and rebirth, all orchestrated and endorsed by the hand of the Most High Big Guy Upstairs. Perhaps the vibrations we need throughout the year and not just through the jolly festive season. Or maybe not, given a good portion of us are really going through it with the economic woes that holidays are much of a hard time, thus acting like a sponge absorbing everything and anything around them because what was once a strong cell membrane has now become a cell wall, allowing everything and anything to permeate through, thus making redemption songs part of the conveyor belt that joins to make a lifeline to a less depressing Christmas, ultimately making it an essential and a guaranteed hit with the people. A testament to the healing vibration entrapped in the sound laced decibels fused with the best instrument known to man (vocals), and that is music.
Jesu wandipa ka mafuta, akandisimudza muhumbavha Mwari waIsaka
