5,000 Xidiminguana records for sale in Ministry of Culture initiative

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5,000 Xidiminguana records for sale in Ministry of Culture initiative

4:32 CAT | 08 Nov 2019

File photo: Folha de Maputo

Legendary Mozambican singer and guitarist Xidiminguana has been having a difficult time for a while now, but the worst is over for the Honwana family, because the artist has been discharged from hospital and is now recovering in the company of his family.

But Xidiminguana needs money, especially now that he can’t go on stage and do what he likes most of all: singing and playing.

So, after a visit by Minister Silva Dunduro, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has decided to launch a campaign to support Xidiminguana and sell, from its own premises, some of the 5,000 copies of his own albums the musician has been hoarding for fear of them being pirated.

The Iron House , the former National Institute of Audiovisual and Cinema and the National Institute of Books and Records in Maputo have been chosen as outlets, and a Ministry of Culture and Tourism communication issued on Tuesday urges fans to buy at least buy one record, at the price of 500 meticais, as a gesture of solidarity.

“Even without being able to perform, and having sleepless nights for health reasons, Xidiminguana has a legacy that he can sell: his records. We are therefore calling on Mozambican society and institutions to buy Xidiminguana’s records,” Ministry of Culture and Tourism representative Arnaldo Bimbe said.

Asked if it would not be better for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to buy the musician’s records outright and provide immediate cash and then recover the money gradually by selling them off, Bimbe agreed that the idea was indeed a good one, but the Ministry of Culture will be sticking to its original plan.

Xidiminguana (Domingos Honwana) was born in Vuthu, Bilene District, Gaza, on August 3, 1936. The son of peasant parents, he shepherded cattle as a child. Xidiminguana started learning to play the guitar on a homemade specimen made of tin and fishing line in 1949, and was able to buy a manufactured model the same year. He is the author of genuine hits such as “Xikona”, “Nilhaisse”, “Mwamungoro”, “Tiba bem” and “Frelimo”.

By Jose dos Remedios

Source: O País