Inside reggae roadblock’s big debut: Director Rugare Mutasa plots Zimbabwe’s reggae rise

By Edward Makuzva and Regina Pasipanodya

Long overshadowed by genres like Zimdancehall, Afro-pop, and sungura, reggae has often lived in the shadows of Zimbabwe’s music scene — its presence steady but understated, nurtured by a tight-knit community of passionate fans and underground artists.

But Reggae Roadblock aims to change that. Chronicling the journey of local reggae musicians, the history of the movement, and the cultural roots that link Zimbabwe to Jamaica’s revolutionary sounds, Reggae Roadblock is both a tribute and a rallying call.

Festival Director Rugare Mutasa could hardly hide her excitement as she spoke about the journey leading up to this moment.

“It’s a really exciting day for us — the debut show for Reggae Roadblock,” Mutasa told reporters.

“It’s our first of a number of shows that we are going to be doing throughout the year and for years to come. The setup here is great. We are pleasantly surprised by everything that has come together and how it’s come together so nicely.”

While putting the event together has been “an uphill climb,” Mutasa added that the team’s efforts are paying off.

“The artists are excited, and they have been working tirelessly to prepare for this. We’ve seen them work day and night, and we are looking forward to a great show,” she explained.

Mutasa revealed that the debut show features a dynamic mix of eight artists, including reggae veterans Ras Jabu, aka Trevor Hall, Dino Mudondo, and Sniper Storm, alongside rising stars Mannex Motsi, Bushe, Boss, Helga, and Junior Bantan — who, Mutasa revealed, was the originator of the festival concept. Holding it all together on the decks is DJ Mr. Muffin, ready to keep the energy flowing.

Ticket inquiries have been strong, Mutasa noted, and the team is hopeful that this first show will set the tone for future reggae events across Zimbabwe.

“This is our debut show, but we are really looking forward to this being the cornerstone or the benchmark for reggae shows throughout our country,” Mutasa said. “At each edition, we want it to get bigger; we want it to get better. We want to refine all of the things we can do better.”

Looking ahead, Mutasa highlighted that the Reggae Roadblock team plans to hit the road, taking the festival experience to other parts of the country. “As soon as we finish this one, we’re beginning to look at sponsorship from organizations. We are looking at spaces that will allow us to host these shows,” Mutasa said. “Truly, there is no one place that we are saying we are going to start — the first place to allow us, we’re there.”

With the debut show marking a major step forward, Reggae Roadblock aims to establish itself as a key player in Zimbabwe’s live music circuit, building a vibrant platform for both established and emerging reggae artists.

Trevor Hall, known as Ras Jabu in the reggae industry, added thoughts on the significance of Reggae Roadblock. “One mic, one band, one stage. It’s bringing that oneness together.

“When we talk within reggae music, we’re always trying to bring one love, one unity, right? One people. Now, by showing that, we can have one band backing many artists.

“Reggae music is a music that encompasses people from various different genres, right? So you will find a diversity from each artist that will come out within the music. You will find that the artist can sing on one rhythm, in their own style and fashion. But still, there’s a flow from each artist, and that’s the beauty of reggae music in itself,” said Hall.

Hall added that reggae music allows artists to really show their own creativity if they embrace the music, the vibration of the music.

“It’s very nice when you hear the artists mimicking other artists, and it shows the inspiration that other artists give. And that is where you’ll find that even within that diversity, it has that variety, and there’s still that one love. So that’s reggae music — one love, one heart, one destiny, and for all of us, Africa.”

Founder of Let Them Trust, Chido Musasiwa, revealed what sparked the idea behind the event. “What brought this on for us, when we were brainstorming about what to do with the reggae movement in Zimbabwe? Everybody seems to have different fractions of where they are performing with their own band, and there is never really a space where they can play as one.

“Now, we’ve got one band today. Tomorrow it will be another band that will also be playing for everybody. What we’re trying to do is to make it like a unified home.

“Because if people come together, you can make more money as a collective than when you are working in pockets which are isolated from each other.

“And when we talk about Rastafari, it’s always about one love, right? So how come we don’t show it when we’re doing our performances? So we thought, let’s do this and show the whole reggae fraternity that we can work together as one, and everybody gets their chance to then back up the various players,” Musasiwa explained.

Musasiwa highlighted, “What I would like to see is this particular movement of Reggae Roadblock touring across the country.

“So we started it off in Harare. We want to be in Kadoma, Chegutu, Beitbridge, Kwekwe, and then, you know, just have these performances with this entourage. Then we’re going to have a volume two, which will have a different sort of lineup. We are encouraging up-and-coming artists to get a hold of us,” she added.

She explained that the vision for Reggae Roadblock is to start in Harare and then expand across the country. “Our next Reggae Roadblock will probably again feature local artists, but we want it to include national artists — people from Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, from wherever. Let’s all get together as one and have these Reggae Roadblocks, because we will then tour in the other towns anyway. Eventually, we see it having regional artists, African artists, international artists.

“But we have to grow the brand. So what we are hoping to do is this: we are hoping to hold it every four months, budget permitting. If we can do it every four months, by the time we get to the sixth one, I believe we’ll have a regional artist. By the time we get to the twelfth one, we’ll have an international artist,” she said.