TONGA musical outfit, Mokoomba, might not turn heads in Zimbabwe but the group is big globally.
Like the proverbial prophet, who does not have honour in his own homeland, the group continues to break records internationally.
After winning the Music Crossroads Inter-regional finals in Malawi in 2008, the group has kept on evolving.
They have become Zimbabwean cultural ambassadors who are big overseas yet they remain virtually unknown on home soil.
Currently, the group is ruling the roost in the World Music Charts Europe (WMCE).
This alone shows that they have mastered the art of capturing the market in Europe.
That is very big because it’s never easy to attract and impress a crowd and critics who don’t understand the lyrics of your music.
The attention this music outfit is getting should never be underestimated.
They have travelled the path, in terms of making it big in Europe, which the Bhundu Boys walked on in the ‘80s.
As Zimbabweans, it is high time that we should embrace local talent.
The fact that Mokoomba is big overseas is a clear statement that we need to love and respect this musical group.
It is a group which has immense talent.
It’s a shame that, as Zimbabweans, we sometimes don’t appreciate what we have.
It is high time we should learn to appreciate and respect our heroes/heroines.
We don’t lose anything in appreciating what we have as a nation.
After all, this is the only country that the likes of Mokoomba can call home.
We are the only people, in the whole world, which the artists who make up Mokoomba can call our countrymen and women.
That is why we should love them and support them because every time they perform in Europe, they are raising our flag high.
They are our brand ambassadors because their beautiful story cannot be mentioned, whether in the European newspapers or on TV stations, without the name of Zimbabwe.
As such, we should not be reminded to respect our own local talent and outstanding personalities.
It should become a norm.
The Mokoomba case is a clear testimony of how Zimbabweans are shining in various sectors.
We are blessed with talent in various disciplines yet we don’t salute these shining stars.
We have developed a tendency to respect and honour our stars only when they die.
We should learn to respect our stars to ensure that they inspire new generations.
We should be ashamed when foreigners value our stars more than the way we do.
The humble and talented outfit from Binga also shows that it doesn’t matter where one comes from but what is important is to pursue a dream.
Mokoomba’s progress on the international scene, and the success stories they are writing, should inspire us to work hard.
It’s a calling to every Zimbabwean artist to dream big because nothing can stop them from fulfilling their dreams.
Right now, it’s difficult to find another local group with a bigger profile in Europe than Mokoomba.