Tuku celebrates his 65th birthday
MUSIC icon Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi turns 65 today and a massive birthday celebration bash has been lined up for one of the country’s foremost music export at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton tomorrow.
It has become the norm that every year a mammoth birthday celebrations bash — that also unites artistes across genres — is organised for the Tozeza Baba hitmaker with fans also accorded the opportunity to meet their star off the stage.
The multi-award winning Tuku will be joined in celebration by his friends in showbiz, both local and international acts, among them South Africa-based Jah Seed, Amayenge from Zambia, Jah Prayzah and famous Bulawayo outfit IYASA.
Other stakeholders in the arts industry, including music promoters, will grace the superstar’s birthday celebrations.
Tomorrow’s event is the second part of the celebrations after some birthday festivities were held for Tuku early this year during his United Kingdom tour, where he opened up on his secret to success in music among other issues.
Born on September 22, 1952, in Highfield, Harare, Tuku is considered Zimbabwe’s most renowned and internationally-recognised artiste and a role model on the showbiz scene and off the stage.
He began performing in 1977 when he joined the Wagon Wheels, a band that also featured Chimurenga musician Thomas Mapfumo.
With 65 albums to his name, the musician has toured several countries and has been endorsed by many companies as their brand ambassador.
He has been to all continents of the world, playing in capitals and top festivals.
Tuku has contributed immensely to the nurturing of Zimbabwean music and holds various prestigious positions among them the Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Children’s Fund and the coveted Cavaliere of the Order of Merit bestowed on him by the Italian government.
He is also among the members of the Censorship Board that will serve for the next three years.
A musician, businessman, philanthropist and human rights activist, Tuku was named among the top 20 most interesting trends around Africa by the magazine Destiny Connect in 2015.
Sitting on position 16, Tuku was described as arguably the most internationally recognised cultural icon to have emerged from Zimbabwe.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
