Winky D's Kudhakwa has become a turntable favourite, igniting celebrations and sending crowds into a frenzy. While it's undoubtedly a party anthem, it possesses a unique quality that transcends the typical party song.
It is a party song. But not so much of a party song.
It's my favourite track off the PaBho EP. I love those songs where Winky D encrypts political connotations within what seem like party, yet not so party songs.
"Hatingatadze kuswera tichidhakwa tichigara munyika yedombo", Winky D sets the tone in his introduction. Nyika ye dombo (country of stone) is a reference to Zimbabwe, derived from Dzimba dzeMabwe (Great Zimbabwe). Dombo also is a reference to crystal meth, a deadly drug that many allege is being smuggled into the country by those with political connections.
He delves into societal decay, unemployment, depression, crime, drug abuse, the decline of religious values, (political) party factionalism, succession disputes, and even the military coup, all while seemingly singing about partying.
Kudhakwa feels like a spiritual successor to Gafa Party (Toi Toi) and Vafarisi. It reminds me of how Vafarisi's message went over the head of a certain radio station that had, at the time, muted Winky D's music, yet Vafarisi carried a deeper political message — the very kind that had gotten Winky D muted.
The word party is a double entendre, polysemously meaning: a social gathering and a political organisation.
Winky D's song Vafarisi, from his album Eureka Eureka, initially sounds like a party track, but closer listening reveals potent political undertones referencing the August 1 shooting in Harare. The chorus, Tiri vafarisi, chedu kufara, musatiridzire mabara (We are only party lovers, there is no need to fire bullets at us), directly addresses the violence.
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A specific line, vamwe vofarisa vave kufayisa vakavhara chiso kunge Zobha, ndiani iyeye hapana amuziva seems to allude to the unidentified soldier captured on video shooting at civilians while masked. Like his earlier song Gafa Party (Toi Toi), which addressed protests, Vafarisi uses a seemingly upbeat context to deliver a powerful message of social commentary. The song's true meaning emerges with repeated listens, revealing its depth and echoing the shock and replay value of Gafa Party.
In an interview with Standard Style, author and music critic Onai Mushava described Vafarisi as a Trojan horse. Toi Toi (Gafa Party) serves as both a party-song template and an intertextual decoy for the new song," Mushava explained. "That's what makes Vafarisi dangerous. It's a Trojan horse — a state-of-the-nation address echoing in every bar, commuter bus, and even the boombox-saturated pastures of the countryside."
On August 1, 2018, six people died and many more were wounded by gunfire after soldiers opened fire on protestors in central Harare.
The protestors were demanding the release of presidential election results, which were delayed by two days, and had gathered near the election command centre amid allegations of vote rigging. A commission of inquiry, led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, concluded that the military used excessive force, and that the opposition MDC Alliance also played a role in inciting the violence.
With Gafa Party, Vafarisi, and now Kudhakwa, Winky D engages youth culture on its own terms, using its own language to rouse them from apathy and complacency.
