JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA
IN HIS pomp, Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo often used Athena Events Venue in Leicester as his favourite hunting ground.
No visit to the UK was complete without a gig there, and for sure hundreds of his adoring Zimbabwean fans – and other nationals resident in England – thronged the joint and were duly serenaded by the Chimurenga maestro.
Thanks to the late Zimbabwean promoter Linus Kadzere, it filled to the rafters all the time the “lion” roared into the UK.
Kadzere and Mapfumo had a cordial working relationship, which later turned into a lifelong friendship. They became bosom buddies – brothers for life.
Nyanga-born Kadzere, who migrated to the United Kingdom in 1991, passed away in August 2021, after his business trip back home, aged 56.
His passing came as a great loss to the British-Zimbabwean diaspora community, as well as those who knew him well.
Simply known as Lee by those closest to him, his legacy continue to be celebrated today through his 25-year-old daughter Kirsty Kadzere, who founded an entertainment company, The Greatest Shumba Entertainment Limited, in memory of her late father.
The name of the company is derived from the Kadzeres’ ancestral totem — the lion.
Already, Kirsty continues her father’s legacy of entrepreneurship with her first big upcoming event being the memorial concert.
“As Mapfumo is preparing for his retirement, the family has decided to open this lavish memorial concert to the public to witness Mapfumo’s legacy as he headlines one of his last shows ever with a three-hour set, in memory of his late friend, Lee Kadzere,” Kirsty said.
And indeed the show goes on!
Mapfumo is set to honour his old friend with a tribute concert which also acts as one of his farewells to UK fans.
Dubbed as “#Linus’LegacyofLove Memorial Concert”, the concert is scheduled to take place on 6 August starting at 4.30pm at the Athena Events Venue.
The night will kick off with a two-hour performance by one of Zimbabwe’s gospel artistes, Mathias Mhere and The Saints of God.
“Mhere and Lee became family after their first encounter. Mhere’s hit single Matables was the song that made Lee a huge fan of the artiste and the two saw one another as father and son. Mhere went on to perform at Lee’s funeral and first anniversary in 2022. Suluman Chimbetu who performed at lee’s 50th birthday will perform this time,” Kirsty said.
The Athena was originally an Odeon Cinema in 1936 which closed for most of the 1990s and remained vacant up until 2005, when Lee convinced the owners to re-open for his promotional tour and guaranteed them business after the event.
After much convincing, The Athena owners agreed to Kadzere’s proposal and re-opened as a multi-discipline events venue, with Mapfumo being first to take the stage at the venues’ re-opening.
Mapfumo was to perform at the event with The Blacks Unlimited for a good six hours, non-stop. The crowd was largely made up of Kadzere’s family members and friends, all based in the UK as well as some relatives who had come from Zimbabwe specially for the big occasion.
“It was a great venue for me as it allowed more people to attend,” said Mapfumo. “I was happy that the show was being organised by a Zimbabwean.”
The Athena Events Venue continues operating today and fully booked.
The Greatest Shumba Entertainment promised many more shows to Zimbabwe as well as the United Kingdom.
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