Mugabe bans S. African music group over ‘chicken’ song

LONDON - The Zimbabwe Government has banned South African band Freshlyground over a Spitting Image-style music video which portrays its ageing president Robert Mugabe as a chicken afraid to relinquish power. he band, which is made up of South Africans, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans and has a pan-African following, was due to perform a concert at the Wild Geese Lodge in the capital Harare next month, The Telegraph reports.

But this week, Zimbabwe’s Immigration Department revoked its working visas without explanation, just days after the launch of the “chicken to change” song.

The song and accompanying video is the result of a collaboration between Freshlyground, best known for performing the World Cup anthem Waka Waka with Shakira, and controversial cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, most recently in hot water for portraying South African president Jacob Zuma as “raping” Lady Justice.

It opens by hailing the Zimbabwean president as a “supernova” who pledged to faithfully reflect his people’s wishes when Zimbabwe won its independentce from Britain in 1980.

It goes on to condemn him for clinging on to power for 30 years and urges him to “become the hero he used to be” by stepping down. (ANI)