PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE
Name: Mundia Mukubesa alias Petersen Zagaze
Political Party : Independent
Age: 39 Years
Constituency: Nalikwanda
Province: Western
Mukubesa Mundia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (NIPA). He was born on September 28, 1982. Better known by his musical stage name Petersen Zagaze, he is a Reggae recording artist, record and producer. He initially gained recognition after his first single in 2005 titled Munyaule. Petersen is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his own label imprint, Zaga Lyfe Entertainment.
Petersen’s music career started off in 2002 as a songwriter. He recorded his first album in 2004 and now has five albums plus a number of hit singles.
MUSIC CAREER
In 2002 Petersen entered Zambian music as a songwriter and backing vocalist for various artists in Zambia .His first taste was after writing ‘goodnight’ for a group called Ba Crazy and he was then featured on two of the tracks in the group’s album which was titled Goodnight. In 2003 Petersen worked with Mondo Music Corp.’s Bob Mabege on his album Mr True and he also featured in Bob Mabege’s hit single Poor Finishing. In 2004 he worked with 2 proud and wrote the song Nzabagwile. Petersen has written, composed and featured on Vobweleka bweleka and Ngayaposa Kukosa for Mwembe Muntu’s album.
In 2005 Petersen ventured for a solo career starting with his debut hit single ‘Munyaule’ which featured General Ozzy and later that year named his first album Munyaule. In 2007 Petersen released a new album with producer Ben Blazer titled Bobojani.
In 2012 Petersen was working on his new album which was the much anticipated album titled Job 13 – 13 but was delayed to be released, but the further delays saw him releasing a 22-track compilation titled Stoga Compilation: Tiger Revolution, before the album dropped.
In 2015 Petersen produced his fourth album King Solomon and also features Afunika, Flexville Marley and Nameless from Kenya.
MUSIC AND SOCIETY
Mundia Mukubesa’s reaction to politicians was not entirely unexpected. Pressure also came from some church leaders that took great exception to Munyaule, a song that out-rightly euphemised sex like no other musician has ever done in Zambia. Petersen used the visibility Munyaule had brought him to highlight several injustices he saw in Zambian politics and the society it breeds.
Mundia Mukubesa has not spared the church in his social commentary where he released a song Amakwebo Mu Church, the travesty that seems to have engulfed the Zambian church. In this song , Mundia Mukubesa visits a church after a long time only to find that the church has now become a market place, selling everything from houses, to cars, and music albums. He then requests that God sends Jesus again to whip with the new Church that has been turned into a market place diverting from its spiritual purpose. The message in Amakwebo Mu Church is quite appropriate for the Zambian church, particularly the Pentecostal church that seems to be experiencing a serious identity crisis.
MUSIC AND POLITICS
Mundia Mukubesa’s prolific criticism of politicians saw the banning of his hit song Munyaule from playing on national radio, in 2005.
And in the Job 13:13 album, Mundia Mukubesa addressed parliamentarians castigating them to focus better things in parliament than debate his songs. He called Members of Parliament “Ba Mwankole” a local name for pied crows pointing out their hypocrisy of promising huge but later abandoning their people in Constituencies.
In 2013, he featured in PilAto’s single entitled BUFI, a highly politically charged song that labeled the late President Michael Sata a ‘Father of Lies’. The song got negative feedback from the supporters of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).
Since his emergency on the Zambian musical scene in mid 2000 Mukubesa Mundia aka Petersen Zagaze hasn’t been short of controversy with his songs, especially his political and social commentary ones, he has attacked the politician, the clergy and the sex worker. Most notable of the songs against the politician are Anyandule and Job 13:13, the clergyman can not forget his 2013 hit song Amakwebo and the latest one Maloza, the sex worker was also not spared in the 2010 hit entitled “Hule ni Hule.” In summary Mr Mundia is an accomplished and consistent musician who has used his music to speak against societal vices; corruption, thefts, segregation, political violence, prostitution, injustice and extortion something void of most musicians who focus on love messages, his music carries with it the real definition of what music should be – Inform, educate and entertain.
PETERSEN THE POLITICIAN
Following the demise of Patriotic Front Lusaka City Mayor Wilson Kalumba, Mundia Mukubesa was flaunted by a little-known People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) as a candidate for the Mayoral by-election.
The Patriotic Front’s Miles Sampa won after polling 81, 936 while his closests rival Kangwa Chileshe of the UPND got 36, 753 votes. Mundia Mukubesa came third with 7, 741 while Saboi Imboela of the NDC got 2, 645.
The political journey for Mundia Mukubesa had just begun. He silently left PAC and shifted his energies to Nalikwanda Constituency in Western Province, his home town.
He says “Nalikwanda Constituency is one of the biggest constituencies in Zambia, but is lacking a lot of developmental projects, national constitutional benefits and economic acquisitions seen and gained by other equally rural constituencies