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Millicent Andile Dube, Showbiz Reporter

Worship and praise were delivered at the first instalment of the “Gotta love gospel” live recording event held on Saturday at the FOG auditorium in Bulawayo.

The event was a collaborative effort by stakeholders and service providers to boost the gospel music scene and provide a platform for artistes to showcase themselves and interact with fans without having to bear the heavy cost of hosting concerts.

And people from the city did not disappoint as they attended the event in their numbers with the artistes delivering exceptional performances. The singers included Mai Mwamuka, Pastor Barack, Marvin Dube, Vuyile Qongo and Vusa Mangena.

Popularly known as Vuyile the Sax, Vuyile Qongo who was a hit on Valentine’s Day as he went around playing personalised songs to lovers proved why he was a sought-after artiste at the concert.

Nita Mahara

He sang a number of songs from his album titled uMusa and set the tone. Who knew instruments could sound so angelic and soothing to the ear?

Next up was Moses Zivengwa who sang a song inspired by the popular John 14 vs 1 Bible verse. He sang songs of praise with the audience taking turns dancing with him on stage. The musician brought the auditorium to a standstill when he sang some of Dr Tumi’s worship songs and mixed them with some from Joyous Celebration choir. His vocal range was unmatched and he left people with goosebumps.

Marvin Dube who recently released a song titled Jata kuboka kwangu (translated to hold my hand) performed the track live and it got a very warm reception. Ever attended a crusade? Well, Felix Elishua Marara brought back those memories to those that attended the crusades back in 2010.

Much-loved outfit The Unveiled from Harare was also in attendance to support the event. The group sadly did not perform as it had several commitments on the day.

Watching the artistes in action, it was clear they had put a lot of work into rehearsals as their sets were flawless.
Over and above, the event was great with revellers enjoying every moment as they sang along and in some instances, danced around in a circular arch. It was warming seeing people spreading the love with those who have not been to church in a while, surely being revived at the gospel event.

Speaking after the event, Marvin Dube said: “This was undoubtedly a blessed day as I didn’t expect Bulawayo to be supportive. The people were welcome and very supportive. I hope that they continue with this tradition.”
Lungile Mafikile who was one of the organisers of the event thanked people for turning up in numbers.

“Everyone who came made the day a huge success. Many a time, gospel as a genre has been neglected in the music industry, but this event drew people and we’re grateful for the support,” Mafikile said.

The organiser said they assembled a team of instrumentalists and vocalists who worked with the artistes to create the special show.

“Our reasoning was to maintain the same standard and quality of music from the beginning to the end of the show.”