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Page 2 of 2
 Murambatsvina
Then in May 2005 things got even harder for every musician in Zimbabwe. Operation Murambatsvina saw the closing of many flea markets in urban centres around the country. Music sales hit an all time low. “When the flea markets closed it really affected us,” said Urban Grooves musician ExQ in an interview with The Zimbo Jam. “We used to sell a lot of our music through there and when the operation came, our main source of sales disappeared.” As if that was not enough, the economy went into freefall in the years to follow. Inflation shot up to 500 billion percent (Source: Finance Minister Tendai Biti, April 2009). The formal sector shrunk as companies closed and skilled Zimbabweans left the country. All this translated to fewer sales for Zimbabwean musicians. To make a living some artists turned to forex dealing and cross boarder trading or “hustling” as ExQ put it. Other Genres However, even as the economy seemed to fall apart, top musicians in other genres like Afro Jazz, Sungura and Mbira seemed to thrive- mainly through live shows and performances outside the country. Alick Macheso, Tongai Moyo, Victor Kunonga, Dudu Manhenga and Afrika Revenge, till they separated as a group, are examples. Even spoken word artists like Comrade Fatso and Outspoken managed to carve out a new niche and garner a respectable following during these same troubled times. Another genre, Apostolic Faith music also rose during this same time to attract a new national following. But Urban Grooves, besides one or two artists, languished. Urban Grooves "Will Die" Arts promoter Cont Mhlanga spoke to the Zimbo Jam and remarked that: “Urban Grooves will definitely die because it is not contributing to World Culture.” An artist, who declined to be named, commented: “There is nothing like Urban Grooves, that’s why it is dying. What happened is that we took all these young artists and the music they were producing and called it Urban Grooves. Some of them were producing soul, others were producing ragga, others were into Hip Hop and Rap. That’s a lot of different genres all lumped into one group.” A Zimbabwean music fan based outside the country, when asked by the Zimbo Jam about this issue, commented that another reason for the apparent demise of Urban Grooves was that the artists were mostly “experimental” artists- teenagers who fell into the field “by mistake” or as a last resort after failing in other areas. “They do not have the same commitment as artists who have decided that this is the career they want to pursue, for better or worse.  “Also, because of their ages, they are in a transitional period of their lives. Some are waiting for exam results to come out so that they can go to college. Sanii Makhalima who left to study in South Africa is an example. Another thing is that some of these young artists are just starting families or new jobs and so may stop to focus on this for some time. Examples are Roy & Royce who moved to Namibia for work related purposes, Plaxedes Wenyika who upon completion of her economics degree at the UZ went into career and family life and temporarily put aside her music and Betty Makaya, who after the birth of her baby, Awami Aldrin, in November 2006, has hardly performed again.”
The Zimbabwean Urban Grooves scene in 2009 is a pale shadow of its 2004 self. It still boasts a few bright stars though- Alexio Kawara, Madiz, Winky D, Xtra Large, Roki and others- most of whom have reservations about being linked to that genre, if it is one, “Urban Grooves.” Urban Grooves, if not as a genre, but as a name, as a collective grouping of artists, is dying. - By Fungai Tichawangana Images top to bottom: Urban Groovers- Tererai Mugwadi, Cindy Munyavi, Sanii Makhalima, Betty Makaya and Rockford 'Roki' Josphats (fungaifoto)
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