IN 2020, as the world was battling the Covid-19 pandemic, musical shows were banned as authorities imposed strict lockdown restrictions including curfews.
The curfews hit hard on all sectors of society with the music industry bearing the heaviest brunt.
In that period, acclaimed musician Alexio Kawara took a hiatus that he surprisingly extended even when the pandemic was declared a non-threat.
Kawara intimated that he was devoting his time to his family and the work of God.
He was, however, holding private shows in Harare.
The break did not go down well with his fans especially those who followed him religiously when he was doing the kuChina Shows at the Zimbabwe Germany Society.
The show drew several fans for an intimate interaction with Kawara as serenaded them with his soulful music that started capturing many people’s imagination way before the turn of the millennium.
In an interview last week, Kawara confirmed he had decided to return to the stage on one of his grandest shows on Thursday nights.
“I have been on a break which continued after the first lockdown until now. I have been performing mostly at private events.
“The KuChina show had become very much affiliated with the brand Alexio because of how loyal we have been to performing on a Thursday night consistently for almost 10 years,” he said.
‘It started off as a platform to grow our brand as well as gain experience in performing together as a band. It has seen a lot of musicians coming and going, but that led to a more permanent core being established.”
According to Kawara, the Bulldogs Pub was the first venue before the show was moved to The Book Café and, ultimately, setting roots at Zimbabwe German Society.
“We have featured a lot of artists including Jah Prayzah, EX Q, Prudence Katomene Mbofana, Souljah Love, Sanni Makhalima, Baba Shupi and a whole lot more,” he said.
“It became more of a hangout joint than just a show. I believe it has a sentimental value to most people who have had an experience of it because of the various relationships that were established in its environment.”
Kawara said they had thought of no better place to host the reunion than the Zimbabwe German Society.
“In a nutshell we just want to reignite the good memories that KuChina brought. We want to bring friends together. We want to bring back that therapeutic experience again,” he said.
Kawara started his music career at as a member of the school choir from primary school until A' Level.
At Mazowe High, he befriended Zivanai Masango who played with Thomas Mapfumo and Zimbabwe Republic Police Band member Watson Chimombe.
They formed a gospel outfit Black by Nature when they left Mazowe High School and after the group disbanded, he joined Delani Makhalima, Brain Garikai and Donda Khumalo to form the group ?uess (Guess) in the year 2000.
The group only released a single project. The most notable song off the project was "Amai" which was written by Alexio himself.
When Guess disbanded, Kawara launched his solo career and released his debut album, “Usazondisiya” in 2003 with hits such as “Kumba Kwenyu” and “Ndinomhanya”.
He followed up with another hit album in “Rwiyo Rwangu” which carried the song “Chibvugubvugu”.
Kawara also produced other albums, “Pfimbi Yangu” and “Kana” which carried songs such as “Karwiyo Aka”, “Nyaya Yerudo” and the epic Shaina.
Kawara has also won several local accolades including 2006 Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA) - Best Male Urban Groove Award and Song of the year (Tinodanana).
In 2007, Kawara won the National Arts Merit Awards - Outstanding Album while Shaina was voted Song of the Year at the 2008 Zimbabwe Music Awards.