Albert Nyathi – Arts – Entertainment – Music | Albert is an academic, poet, author, actor, music producer, and philanthropist.

                                                         Albert Nyathi   

 

                                                            

Rarely, does one come across a person with multiple talents and attributes that include being an academic, poet, author, actor, music producer, and philanthropist. Those qualities are to be found in one Albert Nyathi of the “Senzeni na” fame. Nyathi’s popularity spiraled through the poem and song “Senzeni na” a rhetorical question in iSindebele which in English is the equivalent of – what wrong have we done? The heartbreaking piece was a tribute to Chris Hani Secretary-General of the South African Communist Party who had been assassinated on April 10, 1993

Born on 15 November 1962, in Kafusi village Gwanda district, Matabeleland South province, Albert is from a polygamous family with over 20 siblings. As a young boy Albert was tasked to look after goats and sheep that his father would buy in the village and sell in the city. The task was so demanding that young Albert would sometimes fail to attend lessons and worse still the school was across a river. Each time the river was full he would fail to go to school. That made him hate school.

Albert Nyathi’s achievements have been molded by his upbringing.  “I was basically inspired by what was happening around me, the poverty, the joy and smiles even amidst poverty.”

He graduated from the University of Zimbabwe in the mid-1990s, where he studied English Literature. Nyathi is known in Southern Africa as an imbongi (praise poet).

In 2012 Nyathi was appointed to the UN Regional Creative Artists Advisory Council whose primary role is to reduce violence against women and girls.

Nyathi was courageous enough to spearheaded artistic involvement in the Voluntary Male Circumcision campaigns by being one of the first circumcision ambassadors with an intention to demystify the process and encourage the older skeptical generation.

His commitment to fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic saw him being appointed   creative director of the Zimbabwe Population Based HIV Impact Assessment survey overseeing a group of more than 20 artistes.

The artists were tasked with the creation and dissemination of information on HIV testing, stigma and medication in the 10 multi lingual and multi-faceted cultural provinces of Zimbabwe; in the form of music, song, dance, poetry and one on one interaction.

Between 2000 and 2010, Nyathi played a major role in addressing, confrontation and reduction of stigma in Zimbabwe together with the late music super star and National Heroe, Oliver Mtukudzi during the HIV/AIDS anti-stigma campaign programme

Working with another young talented musician Dereck Mpofu Nyathi produced a series of theme songs for national events as follows “Knock, knock, knock”, 2016, the ZIMPHIA theme song, “Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free”, 2016, the World AIDS Day theme song, “Down to Zero”, 2015 the World Aids Day theme song “Masibambaneni”, 2014, the World Aids Day theme song.

Driven by  his affection for the wellbeing of children Nyathi in 2021, authored two award winning books “My Daughter” which was launched by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and “My Son” in 2016. The books are being used to initiate dialogue between parents and their kids at home, and at school between the teachers and pupils.

As a performing artists, Nyathi has featured at important functions such as the SADC 30th Anniversary celebrations, which was attended by Heads of State and Government.

Between 1990 and 1991 the charismatic Nyathi acted as Nelson Mandela in the musical “Mandela – the Spirit of no Surrender”, directed by Dr. Robert McClaren.

Albert Nyathi has been the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) for three, 3 year terms since 2010 to date. Membership of ZIMURA has grown from 900 to over 3000 music composers under his leadership.

In 2005 as part of the Black History Month celebrations was invited by Chelsea Football Club to work with primary school children, creating poetry against racism in football, and thereafter performing jointly with children at the FA Headquarters in Soho Square and at Stamford Bridge before the match between Chelsea and Bolton.

.As part of his philanthropic work, Nyathi is currently building a girls’ hostel at Kafusi Secondary School in his home village. In 2011 Albert drilled a borehole and installed a solar pumping system for the community in support of a community gardening project called Thuthukani.

He also bought some medical equipment for Kafusi Clinic, which include a refrigerator, baby resuscitator, oxygen facility, blood pressure machines among others.

In 1998 he established Imbongi Talent search project in schools which is instrumental in identifying talent and nurturing it. The father of three, who is a multiple award winner, was this year honoured with the Nama Living Legend award because indeed he is a true Imbongi who has put an indelible mark on cultural development in the country. In 2016, Women’s University in Africa honored him with “The Best Innovative Individual in the Achievement of Gender Parity”.

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