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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

 A VICTORIA Falls-based teacher, George Gumbo, who is a sungura musician has released a single titled Rudo/Ludo/Uthando.

 Gumbo who is the head of the Music and art department at Chamabondo Primary School said he is using his talent and exposure to encourage learners to take arts seriously as a career that can sustain life.

 Music and art are part of the new education curriculum where learners are being taught lifelong skills in the learning areas they show talent.

 Gumbo released a six-track album titled Sawhanga last year, 17 years after the release of his debut Jambezi Stars Volume 1 in 2004.

 Sawhanga, whose tracks were sung in Tonga, Nambya, Nyanja, Ndebele and Shona languages, was recorded at Monde Studios in Victoria Falls, mixed and mastered in Bulawayo at DanMag Studios, where the latest single was produced and recorded.

Rudo/Ludo/Uthando is sung in Shona, Nambya and Ndebele and Gumbo said his idea is to reach out to the wider audience across the language divide.

 The song is already available on YouTube and the artiste has sent it to various radio stations.

“On the Sawhanga album, I was singing about the Hwange area’s first chief. I was trying to make people remember our unsung heroes. The new song is a love song that talks about divorce as a result of some form of domestic violence. It’s about a man who separated from a partner and remembers her when he is faced with challenging house chores and starts blaming himself for letting his spouse leave,” said Gumbo.

 He said he is planning to market the song widely through live shows and social media platforms.

 Gumbo said releasing a single was a strategy he learnt after the release of Sawhange. The album was overshadowed by one song, the title track which is still being widely played on national radio stations.

 He shared plans to release an album early next year.

“Music is part of me and being a teacher, I’m able to balance my time between classwork and music. This is in line with the new curriculum and we realise that not all kids are gifted academically, hence those talented in music can find a lifeline.”

 Gumbo who released a video for the song Sawhanga last year said he is working on a video for the new single. For the album, he was backed by Jambezi Super Sounds and still has no permanent band. He is one of the few sungura musicians from Hwange district, with Kwejani Band being the most popular.

– @ncubeleon