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| Themba Dewa Moyo on stage |
Cape Town based Sungura artist Moses Mabika known as Themba Dhewa Moyo is appealing for financial assistance to release his first album.
Born in the Chihota communal areas in Zimbabwe on the 12th of May 1992 ,Mabika said he never attended any formal education class and the stage name Themba Dhewa Moyo came up when he moved from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
"The people I was staying with called me Themba and Dhewa Moyo is my totem so I decided to combine the new name I was given in South Africa and my totem and came up with that stage name" .
At 3 years Mabika moved from Chihota to stay with his grandmother who was a member of a white garment apostolic church.
Mabika told this publication that he was inspired by Alick Macheso's music.
"I grew up liking music a lot and around the late 90s and early 2000s when Baba Shero "Alick Macheso " had just started his solo music career and released his first album I used to imitate and sing his song called Baba na Mai popularly known as Chikwambo" said Moses.
"People would enjoy the way I correctly imitated Macheso and start cheering me up"he added
Due to economic hardships and this popular belief among some members of the white garment apostolic churches that playing guitars is not a good thing to encourage kids to do,Moses failed to get support from his guardians.
"I taught myself how to play the guitar through listening to Alick Alick Macheso's music,I used to listen to his songs so attentively and after listening to any song I would try to imitate the song and I always managed to do it perfectly "Mabika remarked.
In the year 2009 he left Zimbabwe for South Africa to join his mom in search of greener pastures.
However it wasn't a walk in the park for a guy with no formal education to get a job in South Africa. He had to work several odd jobs but his passion for music never faded away.
He kept on reminding himself that he needed to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician and that led him to buy a set of different guitars comprising of one bass,two rythm and a lead guitar in 2016.
"My experience with real guitars was totally different from what I had been accustomed to with other guitars I used to make on my own,I learnt that I needed to learn more about the music keys since I had been playing off key all along "He said.
After perfecting his guitar playing skills he felt he was ready to release his first album since he had a lot of songs that he had written when he came to South Africa.
All his efforts to get sponsorship to record his music hit a brickwall up until he met Foward Antonio ,former dancer at Alick Macheso's Orchestra Mberikwazvo group.
He spoke to him and he connected him to Widzi Katoko and George Chembe who had a studio in Harare.
He paid them for his first recording and he was impressed with the sound thèy produced for him.
They later told him that they had discovered a very nice studio called Alema Studios in Zimbabwe where they recorded songs but due to lack of finances the songs are yet to be released.
Mabika has successfully perfomed as a curtan raiser for several popular Zimbabwean artists in Cape Town including Mark Ngwazi and Sulumani Chimbetu.
He now appeals to well wishers and music promoters across the globe to help him with funds to pay for the release of his recorded songs at Alema Studios.
"I can assure my fans and everyone who will listen to my yet to be released Album called Ndatsikwa Konzi that this album is fireworks "He said.
His unreleased songs so far are enough to make more than 10 albums of at least six or songs each but his major obstacle is finances.
Mabika's music can be found on https://youtu.be/VjXV_sADKQc and he can be contacted on the following contact numbers for bookings and sponsorships
+27(0)672912744 - Calls Only
+27(0)782617818 -WhatsApp
Watch below video -Mabika playing on stage.
Mabika playing his guitar at a show in Cape Town
