TAWANDA MARWIZI
Sweden based cultural ambassador Luckson Chikutu has called on the government to foster the development of traditional music as he believes its the only genre that can put ZImbabwe on the global map in terms of music.
Chikutu or Manlukerz as he is popularly known as, believes the revival of traditional music festivals locally can breathe life into artistes.
Revival of festivals like the Zimbabwe Music Festival Bira (Zimfebi), he says, can be instrumental in promoting tourism and cultural exchanges.
“Festivals such as Zimfebi are instrumental as they put the country on spotlight. Locally they give generations a reminder of our culture. We get enough respect from other nationalities over sharing our flashback identity through music and dance,” he said.
So far Manlukerz has released six albums and he has been performing at various festivals in Sweden.
The musician has penned a book titled “Flashback Identity” that will be published sometime in October.
“The book was first published in Swedish but we have translated it to English and that version will be released in October on my birthday,” he said.
He said the book is a bridge between cultural and generational gap.
“The writing of the book has been a long journey with positive insights I received and a high ambition to write about my family’s history, the cultural heritage I learnt when I was growing up. The book also captures how music and dance are used to influence humanity in Zimbabwe,” said Manlukerz.
Manlukerz’s hope is that the book be used in schools to teach pupils about the rich cultural heritage of Zimbabwe.
“I really want the book to be used in schools. This is my small contribution to Zimbabwe,” he said.
