Jah Prayzah seems to be re-inventing himself and one of the
major changes he has made about his image is dumping the military gear, it has
emerged.
Jah Prayzah’s camp has since roped in prominent designer
Thembani Mubochwa, who has been making outfits for him and his band.
They also now refer to his fans as “Team JP” instead of
“masoja”. The Kune Rima hit maker, who is a Zimbabwe National Army cultural
ambassador, had become so attached to the military that his fans are now
referred to as masoja (soldiers).
However, the image of the army has become a source of
polarisation, especially after a brutal crackdown last month where human rights
groups say as many as 17 people were killed by soldiers deployed by President
Emmerson Mnangagwa to quell protests.
Some Zimbabweans on social media are now in the habit of
taking potshots at Jah Prayzah, whom they describe as a symbol of oppression,
while heaping praises on his rival Winky D.
The changes in Jah Prayzah’s wardrobe has led to a lot of
speculation, but his manager Keen Mushapaidze tried to downplay the
transformation, saying it was “just seasonal”.
“I don’t think we can say he has dumped military attire,”
Mushapaidze said.
“The official position is that he has been wearing
different uniforms over the years and it depends on what inspires him at that
particular time.
“On whether we will see the band dressing in army uniforms
in the future, only time will tell.”
Interestingly, the army recently ordered soldiers to stop
appearing in public in uniforms, fearing retribution from civilians in the
aftermath of the crackdown.
According to a memorandum that circulated early this month,
servicemen were barred from wearing comflouge outside barracks.
“The Zimbabwe National Army has directed that with
immediate effect no military uniform will be worn outside cantonment areas.
This applies to members commuting to and from places of work, intra- and
intercity commuting,” read the notice.
“Take note that after working hours, members are to put on
civilian clothes and leave their uniforms in cantonment areas. Some members
have been attacked by hostile civilians whilst in uniform.”
Meanwhile, Mushapaidze dismissed reports of a rift between
Jah Prayzah and Winky D, saying the two superstars are not competing in any
way.
“There is no competition. If you followed Jah Prayzah’s
interviews from long back, he has always said that he is a fan of Winky D, but
unfortunately there are people with their own agendas who want to create a rift
between the two artistes,” he said.
Mushapaidze also defended his repost of Jah Prayzah’s 2017
Coke Studio production and a celebratory message on his verification on
Instagram.
“The fact that people are saying there is a competition
does not mean either of the camps stops pushing their works the way they always
do,” he said, adding that collaboration between the two artistes could not be
ruled out.
“The prospects [of collaborating] are there, but sometimes
time is a problem because both artistes are busy but when the right time comes,
it will happen,” he said. Standard
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