By Ronnie Chisamba
Artists of Hope, a group of 126 musicians – comprising members of Zimbabwe Musicians Union (ZIMU) and Creative Arts Union – joined the nation to afford the late multi-talented artist Delroy ‘Scara’ Maripakwenda a befitting farewell at Warren Hills Cemetry on Tuesday this week.
The late Scara was not a member of Artists of Hope but in line with Zimbabwe’s African culture and tradition, the group sent representatives to console the bereaved family.
Ammi Jamanda was among the group’s representatives. At the funeral, Jamanda handed over US$15 and RTGS$1500. The money was raised to assist Scara’s family towards funeral expenses and was handed to the late artist’s uncle Mr. Chagumachinyi.
Delroy succumbed to asthma on Sunday at the age of 29.
A fellow drummer, Wellington Mareva, had this to say about Delroy’s sudden demise: “it’s a very big loss to the entertainment industry and Zimbabwe at large. He had a bright future and had so much to offer the music industry. He was an entertainer par excellence.”
Mareva is the current chairperson for Creative Arts Union and Edith Weutonga currently chairs ZIMU. Members of the two organizations are musicians from all walks of life and employ various music genres.
The formation of Arts of Hope is an effort by the unions to assist artists to reach their full potential in the entertainment arena.