In Africa, it is mandatory that, when tragedy befalls one of us we all fall in line and mourn. We never celebrate the fall of any one. You might be wondering as to what I am driving to. On the morning of Friday twenty sixth day in the year of our lord, two thousand and nine, the “King of Pop Music”, took his last breath of the precious oxygen and was pronounced dead by the members of the “Hippopotami” oath. On that fateful morning, I had woken up early because I was supposed to catch an early bus and was supposed to reach the Nyabugogo “Airport of buses” not later than five o’clock in the morning. The moment I turned on the BBC radio, what do I hear? “Michael Jackson has died” were the first words that come over the airwaves. At first, I did not even hear the words. Normally, ears hear what they want to hear. As I continued listening, then did it dawn on me that, “Jacko Wako” had indeed “kicked” the Proverbial bucket and had become a member of the past tense! I immediately turned on the TV set, believe you me, BBC, CNN, ALJAZEERA, name it, were all flashing the same “Breaking news, Michael Jackson is Dead”. Some of the old timers will believe me when I say that, Michael Jackson was really an inspiration to many. In the nineteen eighties, while we were in secondary school, it was common to find nearly anybody who cared about fashion donning on tight pants (trousers) that looked as if they had been washed in very hot water and as a result shrunk! Far from it, those trousers were just designed like that, they were popularly defined as “mutema” (not the Lingala Mutema though). To crown it all, one had to put on a sparkling pair of white socks. This said and done, young men went another mile to perm their hair (wet look) to look like MJ’s hair. In between nineteen eighty four and nineteen eighty six, the most popular dance styles included “break dance” a.k.a. robot, stuck in the mud, scannia etc. Break dance was very rich in robotic strokes. It is this that became Michael’s trade mark. The dancer had to slide or is it glide back and forth as if using electric power, tags or pulls at an imaginary string and then begins gliding back and forth as if he was a caterpillar (the larvae of an insect called a butterfly). If you do not believe me, askIsaac Ruci (of the LIMIT X), he was such a good dancer, a replica of MJ’s strokes. Of the MJ songs that I loved very much are, Heal the World, We are the World, Human Nature, Thriller and Black or White. I can’t help being saddened by the demise of such an entertainer, though many people tended to concentrate on his negative side and hence hating him; I think this was very unfair, we all have both the good and bad sides, that is no licence for others to keep holding down for the few vices than applauding us for the several virtues. Many a people chose to blame him without knowing exactly what his action and why he took those actions. I was amazed to hear some people talk of him in the negative that, he thought Africa stunk! So what? If Africa did stink to him, that was it! He really revolutionalised Pop music, that is what counts, he was the “King of Pop music”, that is what counted! Jacko Wako, though you are gone, the pain and tears that your death triggers will come to pass, your legacy will live on. I know we gona miss you, yes we do and all will do. Rest in Peace. Mfashumwana@fastmail.fm
