By Kennedy Nyavaya
The late jazz icon Oliver Mtukudzi had planned to make this year more special for his fans by holding a national tour and setting up a museum at Pakare Paye Arts Centre, Standard Style can exclusively reveal.
Today Tuku, who passed away on January 23 this year, would have celebrated his 67th birthday in what had become a day associated with pomp and fanfare every year.
Speaking to this publication on Thursday, his widow Daisy, who revealed intentions to organise a small private celebration for family and close acquaintances, opened up about the musician’s plans to perform on smaller stages around the country in an effort to reconnect with long-time followers.
“There are a lot of things that he had wanted to do this year, he had planned a national tour going around the country’s growth points and ghettos performing for those who followed his music,” she said.
In the mature stages of his career, Tuku’s brand had grown immensely making him a favourite for international audiences while locally his shows became more expensive and exclusive to the financially sound.
Daisy added that the crooner had planned to immortalise his occupation through introducing a place of exhibition, an idea she intends to implement in respect of him.
“He had also planned to put in place his own museum and if God permits I will continue with that dream and also make sure that his dream is fulfilled,” she said.
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Similar to when he was alive, Daisy has been a key figure in preserving her late husband’s striking legacy, which includes the vast Pakare Paye creative hub, but all has not been rosy in the past eight months.
“It has not been easy, but we are managing with everyone playing their role, the place (Pakare Paye) is functioning well as if he is still around. The studio is still functional and our students are still learning well. “The only problem has been feeding them, which we have not been managing to do,” she said.
A great deal of criticism has also gone her way pertaining to how she is handling her late spouse’s passing and the remains of his legacy, in what she dismisses as unfair and ill-intended.
“I beg people not to judge me because most are making conclusions based on unverified information, a lot has been said and most of the times the stories are one-sided. People should try to understand me and not create their own facts without asking me.”
