The Shoes Lambada Experience

Shoes Lambada was part of the International Reprters Conference that took part in Munster, Germany in July 2011, and this is an interview he did during the conference. He also recorded a concert during this conference.

Tariro

This is a love poem by was written to challenge the issue of choices. In this poem, Shoes Lambada paints a scenario where his choices to marry a woman of his liking are not respected. The elders always found something negative about whoever he chose to be his wife. This was common in the shona culture as arranged marriages were respected and your choice was less important. However, the poem as much as it seems to be a romantic poem about a man who sticks to his choice of woman in the face of opposition from his relatives, the poem was written at height of political violence in 2008 and for one to be free you had to belong to one political party and not necessarily the party of your choice. This poem received mixed reactions when it was performed in 2008 and 2009.

Nonthando

The poem is filled with emotion and feelings. One of Shoes Lambada's old pieces. This is a love poem written by Shoes Lambada in 2007.

House of Stone

House of Stone you are my life
House of Stone you are my wife
My brother from another mother, my sister from another mister
My niece from another miss
House of Stone you are a mansion yet to some you are a dungeon
To the poor you are a sweltering red hot oven
Yet to the numerous ruling party cronies you remain a plush paradise like heaven
House of Stone you are my pride
House of Stone you were the chosen bride
Yet your own children have cursed you
With our stolen votes they peruse the city streets
In their elegant lavish limousines labelled ZIM what? Nonsense
Their irritating sirens reminding us for the umpteenth time
Of the wailing Grandmother in UMP Who has nothing but a morsel of dry almost rotten piece of chimodho To feed to the fifteen grandchildren yet when her vote they wanted
They promised her all agricultural inputs and the mother of all seasons (As if they are the rain makers) plus that futile monthly BACCOSI hamper that never was

House of Stone what disease has invaded you?
Which virus is gluttonously munching through your anatomy?
For you no longer know life but strife
You are no longer an epitome of freedom but the home of doom and gloom
I say look around you House of Stone
They claim to be happily married
They sleep under the same blanket and share the same narcissistic bed
Yet when night falls they draw daggers for each other
What then is the GNU when national unity remains a fragile yet cosmetic accord between three principals
I say look around you House of Stone, look around you House of Stone
From the once Sunshine City to now Shit of Harare
From the breadbasket of Africa to the basket case of Africa
From the Great Zimbabwe to the Zimbabwe Ruins
STILL House of Stone

Look around you House of Stone
From the National Water Authority to the No Water Authority
From the Electricity Supply Authority to the Electricity Shortage Authority
From the Grain Marketing Board to the Grain Massacre Board
STILL House of Stone

From Seretse Khama to Ketumile Masire to Festus Mogae to Ian khama Jnr.
STILL house of stone
From Nelson Mandela to Thabo Mbeki to Mohlante to Jacob Zuma and future leaders
STILL House of Stone
From Kenneth Kaunda to Fredrick Chiluba to Levy Mwanawasa to Rupiah Banda to Michael Sata
STILL House of Stone
Even abroad House of stone From Ronald Regan to Gorge Bush Snr. to Bill Clinton to Gorge Bush Jnr. to Barack Obama
Still House of Stone

I say look around you House of Stone
But that day is coming House of Stone
That day when the people’s will shall be felt
That day when the people shall TAKE CHARGE and pen their own constitution
That day when the people shall determine their own destination
For we have had enough of the dust of toil
From our failed Agrarian soil
And all we need is bread on our tables bread on our tables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Tapfuma Ronald Jongwe
Tapfuma Jongwe is a Performing Poet who has performed at various local, regional and international platforms. He writes here in his own personal capacity.

Yomubatanidzwa

This poem is in shona. It is speaking of the Inclusive government in Zimbabwe. The poem is exploring gthe positives that the inclusive government brought rather than the negatives which are always touted in the newspapers. Poet Shoes Lambada mixes humour and deep language with energy to convey the positives being enjoyed by Zimbabweans. Taku Mafika on the mbira gives a jovial celebratory tune with a husky chorus that he sings to interlude the poetry.

OSAMA

This poem was written by Robson Isaac ShoesLambada soon after the death of Osama bin Laden.

Longer than expected he lived

But longer he remains dead

A female,

Bullet-holed all over her skin

Her body the bullet proof of the male combatant

Osama’s son being bombed to heaven

Just like the twin towers on Septmebr eleven

The globe spinning

The atmosphere changing.

Leaders changing, others falling

NATO Royal Airforce tornadoes targeting,

Libya’s dockyard facilities. Israel vowing,

Never to return to 1967 borders. Netanyahu to Obama in White House lecturing.

Gaddaffi’s military installations loosening,

SADC Troika on Mugabe tightening

Strauss Khan a hotel maid sexually assaulting:

The Next-French-President tag falling

Pakistan Taliban, Al Qaeda and Saudi Arabia brushing

Tears from their sombre mourning

Faces from morning till morning

Osama: The Afghan Tora Bora fugitive

Equator of democracy to idolatry

America’s headache since Bush

Now that he is dead

Al Qaeda is sad

In Abbottabad as the chopper pierced

The tense, masses fled

The dollar rose,

Oil fell

Stocks rose,

Gold fell.

Economics or Politics?

International law or law of internationals?

Bound to the Streets

I will miss you