The Oliver Mtukudzi Memorial Half Marathon
Gallo Record Company and Tuku Music are thrilled to announce the inaugural Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi Memorial Half Marathon to take place in Norton at Pakare Paye, Zimbabwe on 23 January 2022, the 3rd anniversary of his passing.
The marathon is set to become an annual event in celebration of the legend.
The Oliver Mtukudzi Memorial Marathon is the first of many events aligned with the various causes he supported.
Affectionately known to many as Tuku, he advocated for a healthy lifestyle by supporting various sporting activities in Zimbabwe.
One such example is a soccer tournament for the youth of Madziva which benefitted from his support for over a decade.
The marathon hopes to draw many Tuku Music fans and health enthusiasts to take part in this noble initiative.
Some of the activities will include running and cycling with young musicians and the late legend’s backing band The Black Spirits taking to the stage to entertain the crowd after the marathon.
All the necessary preparations for this event will include all COVID protocols being observed.
The marathon comes ahead of the release of the Tuku’s brand new song with fellow Zimbabwean afro-fusion musician Mbeu, titled ‘My Better Half’. The single will be released on 4 February, in the month of love in commemoration of the legend. In the spirit of “Abi’angu” (which means “friends” in the Shona -Chikorekore dialect).
“MY BETTER HALF” – OLIVER MTUKUDZI FT. MBEU
Tuku (as he is affectionately and respectfully known by his many fans and friends), the “golden voice” and “soul-dripping voice of Zimbabwe” as he has so aptly been described, has a career that has spanned over forty years. An amazing body of work with over sixty original album releases (nearly all of them best-sellers)! Also to his credit are several collaborations and compilation releases.
Tuku’s message on the first Abia’angu was:
“ABI’ANGU = ‘my friends’. I cannot have a duet song with myself. It can only be a duet with a friend. Your heart which is so close to me, just as mine is to yours, can only be this close by accepting each other.
Thank you for being such a friend forever, and for the friendship that will be forever – even after our lives are spent. People may forget that we are friends when we are gone, but with recorded duets like these, the memories of our close ties will live on forever…
Tuku has done collaborations with local, regional, and international acts across genres that include Sungura, Hip-Hop, Gospel, mbaqanga and even Rock. Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi is on record saying he would never shut out any well-meaning artist, big or small, who want to work with him.
Take a journey with Abi’angu 2 for a musical experience second to none.
Martin Myers 
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