“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.<\/p>\n
\nStanley Kwenda
\nHarare\n<\/p>\n
\nJAMAICAN
\nreggae icon Luciano touched down at Harare International Airport on
\nTuesday afternoon, dispelling doubts which had been surrounding his
\nhugely ancticipated tour, first reported by The Weekend Gazette.\n<\/p>\n
\n"People
\nthought it was an April fool’s hoax, but there was no-one who wanted to
\nfool anyone," said a Zimbabwe Tourism Authority official.\n<\/p>\n
\nClad in green military fatigues with several
\n‘decorations’, his most trusted lieutenant Mickey General in tow, the
\nreggae "Messenger" as he prefers to call himself, coolly negotiated his
\nway through Immigration. At first he looked bemused by the huge army of
\njournalists who instantly mobbed him looking first for a photo
\nopportunity before even asking questions. Being the international icon
\nthat he is, he gladly gave everyone an opportunity before taking a few
\nquestions from journalists.\n<\/p>\n
\n"I am in Zimbabwe
\non a mission I have come to spread the message, the ministry of Jah,
\ncoming to Zimbabwe is like coming home, this is more like Jamaica, the
\npeople, the smiles and everything," said Luciano in typical reggae
\nfashion.\n<\/p>\n
\nLuciano’s trip to Zimbabwe has over
\nthe past weeks been shrouded in controversy with different signals
\nbeing given by the ZTA, which finally brought him into the country. At
\none time the Authority indicated that it had pulled out of the deal to
\nbring the Jamaican artist only to make hasty invitations to the media
\nto cover his arrival. Harare International Airport came to a standstill
\nas the "Messenger" made his way into the building. The entire airport,
\nparticularly the main arrival lobby was a sea of red, black, white,
\nyellow and red as fans braced for the arrival of the reggae master.\n<\/p>\n
\n"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.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis was after the South African Airways flight from Johannesburg had arrived with no sign of the Jamaican artist.\n<\/p>\n
\nThere
\nwere various versions of how to extend greetings reggae style on
\ndisplay. And at once I felt the spirit getting the better of me.
\nEmotions ran high, with journalists running up and down seeking to get
\nthe scoop, while airport security men were torn between having a photo
\ntaken with Luciano and responding to the call of duty.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\nreggae icon was given royal treatment with businessman Phillip
\nChiyangwa chipping in with courtesy transport, which took Luciano from
\nthe airport to a Harare hotel. Chiyangwa’s sons drove the artiste in a
\nyellow Hummer with personalised number plates.\n<\/p>\n
\nSome
\nmotorists rushing to the airport were left bemused by the long convoy
\nof cars and simply opted to give way fearing the unknown. Many probably
\nthought it was the President coming from the airport.\n<\/p>\n
\nThereafter,
\na press conference was held and excitement was still high. A group of
\ntourists had to give way to the "Messenger." A red carpet was rolled
\nout in his honour.\n<\/p>\n
\n"Luciano is coming as a
\nvisitor, friend and artist. He is a messenger who has a message to the
\npeople of Zimbabwe. He is here for the annual Jacaranda festival which
\ncelebrates sustainable development through tourism," said a top ZTA
\nofficial.\n<\/p>\n
\n"We had given our friends in the
\ncommercial sector the right to bring Luciano but they failed dismally
\nand as government we had to intervene. We have brought the great son of
\nthe soil."\n<\/p>\n
\nThe tour of the Jamaican artist
\nhowever had its fair share of controversy. It took two hours for the
\nartist to be cleared through immigration and at the same time Nhamo
\nChitimbe of Shumba Instrumentation who claimed to have secured the deal
\nalleged that he had been sidelined.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe said,
\n"ZTA should do what they want but I am not a politician, I don’t have
\npolitical power but I didn’t do this for individuals but for the people
\nof Zimbabwe. I know Luciano personally as a friend and I don’t know him
\nas a businessperson. He came without his band because he wants this
\nmess sorted out first," said Chitimbe before he was interrupted by a
\nphone call from Caveman in Jamaica. Caveman is a close associate of
\nLuciano.\n<\/p>\n
\nLuciano said he was in Zimbabwe to give the people strength to prevail through the hardships.\n<\/p>\n
\n"We
\nhave always wanted to come to Zimbabwe especially after Bob Marley sang
\nabout Zimbabwe. We are messengers we are here to give the people
\nstrength. We are coming to Zimbabwe at a crucial time because you need
\ninspiration," said Luciano.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe is the fourth
\nhigh profile reggae artist to visit Zimbabwe after Bob Marley, Peter
\nTosh and Freddie McGregor who visited in the 1980’s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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