Harare – Zimbabwean musician Dino Mudondo has fired back at fellow artist Gary Tight after the latter suggested that Willom Tight was unfairly ignored by the National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA). The exchange, which has stirred conversation in the entertainment community, centres on ownership and legacy, not just awards.
The controversy began when Gary Tight shared footage of Dino’s classic hit “Chirangano”, originally released in 2003 featuring Willom Tight, and tagged NAMA in a congratulatory message that also lamented his father’s absence from the event where the song was performed:
“Congratulations National Arts Merit Awards on a great event asi kana paine chamakatadzirwa nababa vangu varegerereiwo zvinogona kutozopfurira nekuvana vangu chatova chikumbiro thank you.”
The message, loosely translated, hinted that the issue of being overlooked could end being a generational curse. Hence the need to resolve it before it’s too late.
Dino Mudondo, reportedly tired of remaining silent, issued a detailed response on social media, clarifying song ownership and artistic rights. He wrote:
“Ndambodawo hangu kunyarara sababa vedu Baba Abraham but like mukoma late great John Chibabura sang kuti Baba rairayi vana venyu vagokura vachiziva kuti mangoma aya ane marules # Chirangano is my song that featured 3 guest artists including mukoma Willom roki n Sarah Mwayera. If you look at the sleeve you can see pakanzi all songs composed by Dino Mudondo meaning I have the right to all my mechanical rights of the song and kuzimura ndinowana 100 percent royalties esong iyo coz ndini muridzi n all the featured artists were paid their flat fees to feature including Sir Delani Makalima who was the producer.”
In his statement, Dino emphasised that “Chirangano” was composed by him and that he holds all mechanical rights to the track. He explained that featured artists, including Willom Tight, Roki, Sarah Mwayera and producer Sir Delani Makalima, were paid flat fees for their contributions, and that royalties belong to him as the principal songwriter.
Dino also addressed Gary directly, reminding him of an earlier moment when Gary had once asked to remix the song. He wrote:
“Garry dayi watanga wabvunza daddy kuti Chirangano isong waani usati watanga kukanda matombo mwanangu. Inga wakafona ukakumbira kuita remix ye Ndichakumirira kwandiri ndikakupamvumo pachene coz you my brother’s son wakadii kukumbira mukoma Willom coz he was also featured on that song.”
The exchange has led to mixed reactions online. Some fans praised Dino for standing his ground and educating newer artists about intellectual property and music rights. Others felt the conversation could have been handled more delicately given the emotional weight surrounding family legacy.
You May Like This
Entertainment industry observers note that debates over legacy, recognition and music ownership are increasingly playing out publicly in Zimbabwe’s music scene, fuelled by social media visibility and growing awareness of copyright and mechanical rights.
As discussions continue online, the spotlight remains on how the local industry recognises past contributors and how contemporary artists protect their creative rights.
Dino Mudondo has not indicated any further response beyond his social media statement, and Gary Tight has yet to publicly reply to Dino’s clarifications.
Leave a Reply