“I am in Zimbabwe on a mission I have come to spread the message, the ministry of Jah, coming to Zimbabwe is like coming home, this is more like Jamaica, the people, the smiles and everything,” said Luciano in typical reggae fashion.
Stanley Kwenda
Harare
JAMAICAN
reggae icon Luciano touched down at Harare International Airport on
Tuesday afternoon, dispelling doubts which had been surrounding his
hugely ancticipated tour, first reported by The Weekend Gazette.
"People
thought it was an April fool’s hoax, but there was no-one who wanted to
fool anyone," said a Zimbabwe Tourism Authority official.
Clad in green military fatigues with several
‘decorations’, his most trusted lieutenant Mickey General in tow, the
reggae "Messenger" as he prefers to call himself, coolly negotiated his
way through Immigration. At first he looked bemused by the huge army of
journalists who instantly mobbed him looking first for a photo
opportunity before even asking questions. Being the international icon
that he is, he gladly gave everyone an opportunity before taking a few
questions from journalists.
"I am in Zimbabwe
on a mission I have come to spread the message, the ministry of Jah,
coming to Zimbabwe is like coming home, this is more like Jamaica, the
people, the smiles and everything," said Luciano in typical reggae
fashion.
Luciano’s trip to Zimbabwe has over
the past weeks been shrouded in controversy with different signals
being given by the ZTA, which finally brought him into the country. At
one time the Authority indicated that it had pulled out of the deal to
bring the Jamaican artist only to make hasty invitations to the media
to cover his arrival. Harare International Airport came to a standstill
as the "Messenger" made his way into the building. The entire airport,
particularly the main arrival lobby was a sea of red, black, white,
yellow and red as fans braced for the arrival of the reggae master.
"Is he still coming or we have been lied to?" asked a fan who had brought his entire family to the airport to welcome Luciano.
This was after the South African Airways flight from Johannesburg had arrived with no sign of the Jamaican artist.
There
were various versions of how to extend greetings reggae style on
display. And at once I felt the spirit getting the better of me.
Emotions ran high, with journalists running up and down seeking to get
the scoop, while airport security men were torn between having a photo
taken with Luciano and responding to the call of duty.
The
reggae icon was given royal treatment with businessman Phillip
Chiyangwa chipping in with courtesy transport, which took Luciano from
the airport to a Harare hotel. Chiyangwa’s sons drove the artiste in a
yellow Hummer with personalised number plates.
Some
motorists rushing to the airport were left bemused by the long convoy
of cars and simply opted to give way fearing the unknown. Many probably
thought it was the President coming from the airport.
Thereafter,
a press conference was held and excitement was still high. A group of
tourists had to give way to the "Messenger." A red carpet was rolled
out in his honour.
"Luciano is coming as a
visitor, friend and artist. He is a messenger who has a message to the
people of Zimbabwe. He is here for the annual Jacaranda festival which
celebrates sustainable development through tourism," said a top ZTA
official.
"We had given our friends in the
commercial sector the right to bring Luciano but they failed dismally
and as government we had to intervene. We have brought the great son of
the soil."
The tour of the Jamaican artist
however had its fair share of controversy. It took two hours for the
artist to be cleared through immigration and at the same time Nhamo
Chitimbe of Shumba Instrumentation who claimed to have secured the deal
alleged that he had been sidelined.
He said,
"ZTA should do what they want but I am not a politician, I don’t have
political power but I didn’t do this for individuals but for the people
of Zimbabwe. I know Luciano personally as a friend and I don’t know him
as a businessperson. He came without his band because he wants this
mess sorted out first," said Chitimbe before he was interrupted by a
phone call from Caveman in Jamaica. Caveman is a close associate of
Luciano.
Luciano said he was in Zimbabwe to give the people strength to prevail through the hardships.
"We
have always wanted to come to Zimbabwe especially after Bob Marley sang
about Zimbabwe. We are messengers we are here to give the people
strength. We are coming to Zimbabwe at a crucial time because you need
inspiration," said Luciano.
He is the fourth
high profile reggae artist to visit Zimbabwe after Bob Marley, Peter
Tosh and Freddie McGregor who visited in the 1980’s.