Tuku appointed Tourism Ambassador

Oliver Mtukudzi

Music legend Oliver Mutukudzi has been appointed the country's cultural tourism ambassador in a move which was welcomed by many. Isdore Guvamombe of Zimbabwean Herald, describes one of his latest performances as Tourism Ambassasador:

WHEN night fell on Victoria Falls on Monday May 21 2012, it was as if that was dawn. No one stayed home, including known hypochondriacs, the lame and the infamy. The real music of Zimbabwe called them, it knocked on their doors, their hearts and their souls.

Music drowned the town. They poured out of their homes and hotels in the resort town, they indeed poured from the neighbouring villages in Jambezi communal lands while others drove or hiked from the distant coal mining town of Hwange, all for the rare entertainment extravaganza at the Elephant Hills Golf Course.

Dancing and feasting took centre stage for the entertainment-starved community, while for the delegates to the Africa Travel Association Congress, the show gave them an opportunity to shake off the lethargy of meetings the whole week and jet lag. The show was free and the multi-racial crowd yelled, cheered and danced as if there was no tomorrow.

The sound was perfect, drowning the thunder of the mighty Victoria Falls that normally provides the lullaby that snorts the residents the resort town to sleep. In the aftermath of the celebrations, the grounds had nothing but trampled grass and gnawed bones, empty and half-empty bottles and the too sloshed were seen snoring in various corners and postures.

Music legend and tourism ambassador Oliver Mtukudzi fondly referred to as Tuku, put up a splendid performance at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority-sponsored African Travel Association Culture Night. Clad in milk white clothes, the senior superstar staged probably one of his best performances this decade as he put up a well-choreographed act in front of a capacity crowd.

Like a typical legend, Tuku took the revellers through a refreshing music journey-- from the 1970s hits like "Rova Ngoma Mutavara" to "Tozeza Baba" of the early 1980s to "Neria" up to "Munendipasa Manyemwe". And, if the lush green lawn of the golf course was to tell a story, it was trampled silly. Before Tuku played, local group Chicken Bus also did justice to their inclusion in the line-up.

Jabavu Drive led by saxophonist Phillip Svosve and Aaron Yafele played renditions of old school jams and Iyasa also put up a well-choreographed act. Earlier in the day ZTA chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke had addressed a Press conference in which he said Tuku was poised to assume the country's cultural and tourism ambassadorial role on ZTA's recommendation.

"We have nominated Oliver Mtukudzi to be our cultural and tourism ambassador. "His talent is undoubted and he has represented the country well on the world stage," he said. Kaseke, however, said, the Cabinet was expected to sit and deliberate on the tourism authority's proposal. Tuku said he was humbled by this development. "I am just a simple artiste and I am humbled by this praise and recognition," he said. The ATA delegates surely left Zimbabwe feeling that the country had a strong culture tourism brand. Herald