To all the Gafas who came through for Tête-à-Tête Season 2, I offer my deepest gratitude. The concert could have lasted for just one night, but the faith that brought you to attend this event was built over more than two decades, in which you have stood by my works as both listeners and believers in a musical mission shaped by truth, consciousness and purpose.
Wisdom dictates that leadership is not measured by how far one walks ahead of others, but by how intentionally one walks with them. The distance and time my music has travelled, has been possible simply because you have carried it in your hearts, defended its purpose and related your own stories within it.
Tête-à-Tête Season 2 was a reminder that music carries greater force when it awakens thought and gives a voice to those who may otherwise remain unheard. Thank you for growing with me through every season, for embracing the evolution of the sound and for continuing to believe in the mission behind the music. The stage could have carried my voice, yet the movement belongs to all of us.
The journey continues, enjoy the new project roll out.
https://t.co/cvf32YxmqC
I want to thank Zimbabwean dancehall star Winky D for the very insightful message in his new song, Chivanhu.
He touches on a serious topic that I have advanced on this page for years, respecting our past, respecting our ancestors, and refusing to be held hostage by foreign religions brought to us through colonial rule and missionary indoctrination.
A people who do not understand their past, who embrace other people’s ancestors while disowning their own, and who disparage their history are bound to struggle. Africa continues to face challenges because many of the things we consider important are not rooted in our own history, culture, and experiences.
You cannot be more Muslim than Muhammad, and you cannot be more Christian than the people among whom Christianity first emerged. Part of the success of the Chinese, whom Winky D references in his song, has been their authenticity, confidence in their own civilisation, and belief in themselves.
I am not a Christian because I hate Christianity. I am not a Christian because I do not believe my identity can be rooted in a foreign religion whose foundations were built by other people’s ancestors while requiring me to disconnect from my own.
Every people who have risen and prospered have done so by understanding who they are, where they come from, and what values define them. Self-respect begins with knowing your own story before seeking validation in someone else’s.
Winky D has truly matured into an artist who does not follow the wind, but has become the wind itself, the one that others follow.
Consummate artists do not chase narratives, they shape them. They do not merely reflect society, they challenge it, provoke thought, and help direct the national conversation towards issues that matter.
That is what separates entertainers from cultural icons. The greatest artists leave a lasting imprint on the conscience of a nation.
Well done to Winky D and his team for producing work that stimulates thought and encourages introspection. More life to Gaffa Nation.
https://t.co/gmcPGJRtNM