Kae Matṷnḓu-Tjiparuro
Their last minute request to give their old time fellow a befitting send-off musically granted, for a good time on the night they were an almost unobstrusive bunch hurled in the corner.
With the late muso Flemmy Hengari a member of the Tiree Mukuru unorthodox church in his last days or well before that, the church and its religious fellow travelers indeed made sure that the night of the memorial service for the late musician belonged to them leaving little time for his fellow musos. Not until deep in the memorial service just before the eulogy was read when Mbakumua Hengari, a cousin to the late muso, opened a small window of opportunity for the late fellow musos just before he delivered the eulogy. And when they entreated the religious podium the musos could not but in no time endear themselves to the fatefully mixed congregants who jam-packed the
Red Flag commando hall right in the heart of the Katutura Central Constituency.
At one point it seemed as though the musos had been struck of the list of the hordes of believers intent on paying tribute. And understandably so because a memorial service in the culture and traditions of the people the late muso hails from, is a serious and somber affair that cannot and should not be confused and contaminated with music, ordinarily perceived as the diet of the Devil and his/her many adherents, and thus an opium for the believers. Doing the trick was none other than the opening tune by the veteran local musos, a rendition of a golden oldie, by Carole King, You have got a friend (1971). Tito and Cynthia, on vocals, could not have done more justice to the all time popular song. Flanked and backed Ghandi on bass, Jomo on drums, Whannie on Keyboard and CK on guitar.
For the bereaved family of the late muso Flemmy, and the believing congregation as much, the song was just what the supernatural may have divine to soothe the broken souls. “When you’re down in troubles
And you need some love and care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon i will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I’ll be there
Yes I will
You’ve got a friend,” go some of the lyrics of the song.
A befitting message from the departed muso to family, and fellow musos. And equally the right tribute from the musos to fellow, and the bereaved family. But one only wonders if the congregation understood the message other than just seeing the musos as just playing music. But soon the initial euphoria over musos entreating on their holy turf seem to dissipate with the musos providing the necessary background music as the congregants viewed the body. Winding up the night with anther golden oldie, Jesus is Love, by the Commodores. Yes, Flemmy must have gotten a befitting musical send off by fellow musos. And certainly memorial services among these highly religious crowd might onwards never be the same again.