Nyago bares it all
Her sound and approach to music have always been different. From messages in the songs to her choice of genre, Nyago has always struck many as different and unique.
Reading her autobiography Enough gives one answer to many things surrounding the personality and things that have shaped the life and approach to life of this Afro spiritual artist Nyago, real name Lucy Gongwe.
The self-published 77 pages book takes a reader on a journey of discovery from her childhood, her experiences in foreign land and her sojourn in music.
In the book, which can best be described as a direct conversation between the artist and the reader, Nyago reveals the most traumatic experiences of her early life as well as mistakes which made trying to make it in South Africa and Zimbabwe, among other things.
In the book, the artist shares the various rape and sexual assault experiences.
She describes these incidents with precision and clarity. She, however, avoids mentioning names in the book, opting to describe them by looks and the nature of the relationships she had.
For her first sexual assault experience, she talks of a fellow athlete whom she trusted.
“Everything happened so fast and I began to bleed and experience intense pain. He abruptly asked me to clean up, expressing embarrassment to his friend, who was amused by the situation as I cried. He provided water for me to clean myself and then escorted me home,” reads the book in Chapter Three where she later revealed it led to her first pregnancy.
The book also talks of the musician’s shenanigans in South Africa, her many attempts at creating a better life for herself, finding love, getting married and escaping her abusive marriage. She, however, acknowledges that much as she blames him for the failure of their marriage, she knows he too has his own side of the story to share.
Nyago continues to talk about her decision to embrace God and how her life as a devoted Christian panned out.
However, the author shares little about her experiences in music. She just explains in brief about being part of a choir, then recording music which she later sells in compact discs. A more elaborate description would be great, bearing in mind that many know her as a musician.
The artist can be understood though as she clearly and repeatedly indicates that she shared her life story to help those facing similar challenges so that they avoid the same mistakes she did.
“Writing about these experiences is painful for me because it takes me back in time and the memories still hurt. However, I hope that someone can learn from my mistakes and seek help when needed. I’m not proud of many of the choices I’ve made, but I did what I had to do,” she writes in conclusion.
Some of the take home messages in her book is that despite the many sexual assault encounters, none of them were held responsible as she never got police involved. It is also clear in the book that some of the artist’s songs such as Chingaba Wuli are a clear inspiration from her past riddled with traumas such as sexual assault.
The book’s layout is simple with the artist opting to use short and simple sentences, making it an easy read for everyone.
But the artwork at the back of the book should have appeared as the front and what is on the front should have appeared at the back as the back cover is more artistic which is in tune with her career as an artist.
All in all, Enough is a book that tells it all, leaving the musician in her most vulnerable as she shares her past experiences. Perhaps a follow-up book could shadelight how she is fairing now.
