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exclusive ‘boy’s club, looking at the number of male musicians who have done extremely well in this sector. However, in the midst of all this, there are female artists who continue to make a mark in this sphere. Rute Mbangwa is one of the country’s gifted jazz artistes who is not only a talented composer, but also possesses a powerful voice. Entertainment Editor Ruth Butaumocho (RB) had a chat with Rute (RM) on her career.
RB: Can you tell us about yourself?
RM: I am a 26-year-old single mother. I was born and bred in Harare, and I did both my primary and secondary education in Marlborough.
RB: How did you venture into music?
RM: I started when I was still very young, at the age of nine, that is when my talent for singing was discovered. Then I had joined Chipawo.
Because of my ability to sing, I would get roles in music in most theatre acts. In 2001, I participated in a talent show that was organised by ZBC called “Spotlight”. Our group, which included the likes of Sebede, Roki Josphat, Newel and Ngoni Kambarami, came first in the jazz category.
It was at that event that I was spotted by Tanga (wekwaSando) and eventually got into jazz. In fact it was Tanga who nurtured my talent to be where I am today.
Having realised my capabilities as a musician, I then released my first album called “If Only My Heart Had a Voice”, in 2004.
RB: That to me sounds like a passionate appeal to be heard. What was going on in your life at that time Rute?
RM: Well, personally there was nothing going on in my life at that time, but I was reaching out to hundreds of women who had just got married and only to realise that their husbands were cheating on them. In fact, it was a way of sharing their pain and also encouraging them to be strong and look at life in a different perspective.
RB: Being a female musician, do you think the landscape is conducive for women in arts?
RM: The landscape is still far from being conducive for women artists because of a number of reasons, and the majority of them are deeply entrenched in our socialisation. There is a lot of stereotyping in the arts, where female musicians are perceived to be women of loose morals, and go on stage specifically to hunt for men. You realise that female fans who attend shows with their husbands, also consider you as a threat when they see you on stage, dancing in a certain way which is part of the business anyway.
But of course you cannot rule out that there is another segment of women in the arts sector, who use sex symbols to attract men, by either using lurid language or going on stage semi-naked. In all fairness, you can still have a good show, even when you are fully clothed on stage. I am calling out on women to preserve our dignity as female artists.
RB: Do you feel as female artists you need some form of assistance, either from the Government or from other stakeholders?
RM: Government should set up a cultural fund that should not only benefit women in the arts sector, but everyone who wants to kick-start his or her project in the arts.
RB: At one time you were touted as the next Miriam Makeba, but your fans have noticed that you have not been consistent in music. What has been keeping you busy?
RM: I just felt that I needed a bit of sprucing up. I needed to edify myself and to improve my brand as Rute Mbangwa. So I went back to school and joined the Zimbabwe College of Music, where I was studying Ethnomusicology for two years.
I have also been taking private voice lessons to improve on my brand. I noticed that when I got into music, I didn’t brand myself properly and I needed to do that. I just wanted to tell my fans that when I got into jazz, it wasn’t my choice, but I guess my fans took me there, because they constantly referred to me as a jazz musician.
RB: Now that you are back, whither my sista?
RM: I am working on my third album to be released soon. I will also be holding shows not only in Harare but also throughout the country.
RB: What has been some of the highlights of your career?
TM: I had an opportunity to attend the Grahamston Festival a few years ago, and I also managed to represent the country in Algeria at the Pan African Festival, courtesy of the Ministry of Education. Namibia is one of the places that I have carried forward in my artworks.
RB: You are a cousin of Roki, does his controversial life bother you?
RM: That is the way he is. People are different.
RB: Are you in a relationship?
RM: Yes I am. Very much attached. We are still getting to know each other, and we have big plans.
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