Review by Hupepe Chule!
Ndabuda Mugaba is a punchline Injected debut project from introspective poet Tanaka Ects Chuma. The title Ndabuda Mugaba can still remain as curiosity from the writers answers. However, from my perspective I see the title Ndabuda Mugaba held’s a splendid image on glorifying escapism, it could be a lion that has escaped from the game park , a cartoon that has escaped from the TV or a Comic book finding its way into reality. The reason why I deem it that way is because by Ngaba he means a bottle, a bottle is used for packaging and Ects confronts saying with sharp abundance That I don’t want to be a in your package of misconceptions ,doubts and expectations he doesn’t want to be wrapped like a Christmas gift his out of the bubble.
The magic of art doesn’t occur without life happening. On tracks like Not Kudzoka Paden, Joza and Chandagoda Ibasa he expresses his experience from shifting from teenage hood to adult hood the heavily deceiving misconception he faced when he went to South Africa to seek greener pastures but had an epiphany when his exposed to many Zimbabweans doing all social evils in the name of hopelessness ,the song is blooming with a catchy hook and I like the Euphemism he blows us with ‘ Vamwe vakukumbira neche mumwoyo ndachitvaga polite way yekuvati mbavha’. On Chandaingoda basa the song that follows is another song he with such a plight delivery about how having dreams of finally getting the opportunity of eating on your sweat like any other boy but faces a tight situation when the whole family waits for his salary underestimating that his too young to work for himself he ends the song with such a humorously brilliant skit having multiple phone calls from Grand ma , Small Brother and Girl excusing himself that he aint paid yet. It’s safe to say Ects going to South Africa, finding a job, a girl breaking his heart was his Damascus moment finding light.
Ects had me wondering about his relationship goals when he flows about his situation with girls through out the album on Ndokuda but he plays a confused Chameleon who turns red on a richly green field he doesn’t know if he loves, hates or misses he put a but after every word. One of the words our generation abuse on text and yes he did talk about the relationship on social media ‘Ndosaka ndaisa Tsamwa pawisa mufes asiri ini Pastatus ndaingopfunga ukutsvaga mafovours’. On 3 years after he boils down with mixed feelings on his first love how he ended up with depression and how she never wanted to let go and boy dies his throw shade on his now boyfriend!
Listening to Ndabuda Mugaba is like opening a diary of a teenage girl with issues , a lot of skeletons and darkness is discovered . The album is quite sober with a low rhyme scheme. Yes a poet shouldn’t use rhyme all the time especially with no reason . After all rhymes get to put the tone into motion , to make it more comfortable for the listener . Its funny on the first song Kuimba Ndichtaura he says ‘tobvumidza politics, dziri social kana zemu bedroom as long as mazwi achirhymer ‘. As far as production I feel they should have been more diversity on instruments base guitars, ,acoustic guitar, saxophone, more 808 drums and flutes despite the fact that there was house beat, Afro Pop and African Drums I still wasn’t satisfied that’s the down side of working with one producer. The greatest weapon Ects has is that he still has a whole unoccupied land for growth .Nonetheless he did it just like Hulk he reaped everything packing him and threw it in the face of disgrace.
For this and other stories connect with Poetrama on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Poetrama 