BULAWAYO – Popular Zimdancehall chanter Winky D has been banned from performing his controversial song, Ibotso, which takes a satirical dig at the elite for massive corruption at the expense of the suffering.
This was revealed by the musician during a musical performance in which fans clamoured for the hit song.
Winky D, real name Wallace Chirumiko, was featuring in a gig to draw the curtain on the 2023 Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo on Saturday.
“They want to arrest the music. They must leave the music to flow like water in the river.
“They don’t have to control my playlist. I have to play what I want, I have to play what you want,” said the musician to fans.
The Harare dancehall star also told his fans he was warned prior to the gig that dire consequences would follow if he were to perform “Ibotso”.
“I don’t want disaster and I want everyone to be happy,” Winky D said.
The song, first performed on New Year’s Eve when Winky D launched his new album Eureka has elicited an angry reaction from government sympathisers for its strong lyrical content scolding the greedy elite that has abandoned the poor.
A Zanu PF aligned pressure group, Economic Empowerment Group (EEG) led by Mike Chimombe demanded that Winky D’s music be banned from all radio stations and from live performances.
In the song, the popular musician collaborated with fellow artist Holy Ten who surprised all and sundry when he later took offence with being invited to feature in the song by Winky D when it ignited strong reactions from different quarters.
In his first live show since the release of his controversial album Eureka, members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police forcefully ordered him to stop his live performance at the Blue Roof at Damview in Chitungwiza 4 March leading to angry reactions by the musician’s fans.
