By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
There is something magnetic about the showbiz industry, which makes it different from any other genre.
It is this thing that would draw a man as educated as Bob Nyabinde to quit his well-paying job as school headmaster, to become a fulltime musician.
In my interviews with Bob Nyabinde, he emphasised that he had to quit his day job as a school head to pursue music simply because the allure of music had become too much to resist.
But again, what made Nyabinde leave his old day job was that it happened at a time when civil servants in Zimbabwe were generally going through tough times – they were heavily underpaid and working conditions were increasingly becoming unbearable.
So, it was hardly surprising that Nyabinde saw it fit to quit and pursue a music career.
But music was not new to Nyabinde, whose compositions were mostly inspired by his surroundings and the people around him.
Remember working with people was Nyabinde’s daily bread and if there was anything he was good at, it was observing people.
Shrewd, smart and talented, Nyabinde was a self-taught acoustic guitarist who only needed one song to make himself a hit.
And so, when he released his debut album, Pane Nyaya, it was easy to see why it was pregnant with emotion and meaning.
By titling the album Pane Nyaya (There is a story) it was by no means a misnomer.
He had seen and had enough working as a headmaster and it was a time to move on. While most of the songs appear as social commentary, the songs were as political as they come but the tone remained subtle, on the surface and deep on second listening.
The 2002 release was well received as it dropped at a time when there was political turmoil in Zimbabwe following the land reform by the Zanu-PF government.
This not only affected downstream industries but several professions including teaching and nursing in fact the entire civil service was adversely affected as the government failed to rescue its employees.
Against this background, Nyabinde hit the scene with a big thunder as a new voice of reason and hope in the music industry.
His subtle messages touched so many hearts that even the establishment felt compelled to stop and listen.
This was because of Nyabinde’s razor-sharp humour which carried his messages in a way that but did not offend or hurt anyone.
Instead of interrogating or getting angry, people would laugh at themselves and carried on as if nothing happened.
This is so evident on Pane Nyaya. The messages are serious and yet the establishment viewed it as simply art.
Yes, it was art but with depth and meaning.
The hit song off that album, Chabuda Hapana, speaks to the downtrodden those who toil everyday but, in the end, achieve nothing. Yes, so many people put work into it, but somehow the Zimbabwean situation is not favourable and they still find themselves in the worst situation even though they sweat every day to make ends meet.
In other words labouring in vain, hard work only doesn’t help but it takes planning and evaluation of progress and making adjustments where it’s necessary.
This has been the situation in Zimbabwe for the longest time since the First Republic and now continues in the Second Republic where incomes are being eroded by inflation and corruption continues to thrive against the masses.
But that was not only the pug track on that album there was also Samanyika, a feel-good number which lifted the spirits of Afro-jazz lovers during the popular Winter Jazz Festivals at Jazz 105 where Nyabinde was a staple on the line up.
But to show his musical prowess Nyabinde would return in 2004 with another engaging album, titled Ndiratidze.
It was the title track which really got people talking, this time he looked at love, relationships and family.
Love is a big deal to many people. In fact it affects everyone and the song asks who managed to live a life free from stress, hardships or rules. Interesting it is he continues saying that no matter how brilliant you think you are, there is something you will always learn from others.
Imagine, Nyabinde’s short music career saw him releasing only four albums but impactful. After Ndiratidze he then dropped Teerera in 2006 and then Anzwa Hama in 2013 and like all his albums it was the title track which hit the right chords.
As fate would have it Nyabinde suffered a stroke due to his diabetic condition in October 2023 such that he became partially blind.
The headmaster, as he was popularly known on stage, had to reduce public performances and instead started grooming his son Agga.
And on 23 December 2023 Nyabinde succumbed to diabetes. He was 68!
His colourful career saw him working with the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi, Dumi Ngulube of Amagents, Tanga WekwaSando, Dudu Manhenga, Sam Mataure and many others.
As an educationist he taught us that one can still educate people not only in class but through music.
Go well, Sir, your music will continue teaching us how important life is!
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