Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Metaphysics' dream of a little Amsterdam in Harare

Metaphysics' dream of a little Amsterdam in Harare
23/03/2011 00:00:00
by Henry Makiwa

I CAUGHT up with one of Africa’s hip hop giants, Metaphysics, a couple of weeks ago as he took time off his European tour with his band Sohne Mannheims. The previous night, I had watched Meta, a.k.a Herbert Schwamborn, bring the house down with a 5-mic performance at a jam-packed Koko’s in London’s Camden Town.

Very much a trailblazing and defining force of Zimbabwean hip hop, Meta has in recent times focused his energies on championing neglected issues and playing an ambassadorial role for his beloved homeland.

Last year, the former A Peace of Ebony frontman sparked an online petition called the Zimbabwe Diamond Trust, to push for the acceptance of Zimbabwe to trade its diamond minerals on the world market.

The country’s new find of wealth in precious stones has been a cause of much diplomatic friction between Zimbabwe and the West following allegations that they were "blood diamonds". But pressure and support from other African and diamond exporting countries in the developing world, has seen a gradual shift from this stance, with Zimbabwe being allowed to make some sales since the turn of the year.

Another interesting occurrence happened. Ahead of elections of the world diamond trade regulating body, Kimberley Process (KP), the United States dispatched an envoy to Harare to lobby for support in the poll. This was in spite of the political sanctions Washington has slapped on Zimbabwe for nearly a decade and the general diplomatic hostility between the two countries.

Zimbabwean officials, as expected, made it clear to the visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Susan Page that the US could not expect Harare's backing for as long as Washington sabotaged the country's diamond industry.

As I sat with Meta reading the news piece on New Zimbabwe.com, sampling his latest solo joint Give Me Zimbabwe, he couldn’t hide feelings of vindication of his petition campaign and how justified his efforts were.

“It’s very cheeky of the Americans to pull off such a move while they are at the forefront of prohibiting diamonds from Zimbabwe from KP certification and international trade. They’ve had it coming,” he quips.

Meta also feels justified about his other campaign: the legalisation of marijuana, which has stirred a storm in Zimbabwe. If he had his way, downtown Harare would be a little Amsterdam.

On his last visit to Harare, the German-based rapper armed himself with an HD camera and filmed and produced the pro-marijuana documentary Rolling, Smoking. In it, Metaphysics gets to the core of the issue, conducting a vox pop on the streets about weed and gauging the public mood about legalising the drug.

Attention from the media was to follow, when he was interviewed by Harare’s popular tabloid, H-Metro. Then the unexpected happened when one of the country’s legislators from President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party took the debate into parliament.

Uzumba MP Simbaneuta Mudarikwa reportedly drew prolonged laughter in the House of Assembly after suggesting marijuana should be grown legally in “remote areas” for medicinal purposes or for worldwide export to countries where the drug is legal.

In Zimbabwe, the negative publicity about weed has managed to demonise it to such an extent that there is barely anyone who vouches for it in public although many people use it.
Metaphysics reckons the tide is about to change and puts his case in the video I shot, directed and edited below.

Labels: CANNABIS, HIP-HOP

posted by MrK @ 6:55 PM