Infamous funeral painter Lebani Sirenje, aka Rasta, once again found himself in the middle of a social media storm over the weekend after his painting of late jazz musician Oliver Mtukudzi went viral on social media.
The star was laid to rest on Sunday after a funeral procession through the national stadium in Harare‚ Zimbabwe, which was attended by thousands of mourners.
While mourners gathered at the stadium‚ on social media much of the attention was on Rasta and his paintbrushes‚ after he ignored pleas to not paint Oliver.
Twitter users have long given up on Rasta but even they couldn’t help share a laugh at his latest creation.
They even questioned why the painting looked like Malume Chirwali from Emzini Wezinsizwa.
Despite the constant criticism, Rasta told reporters late last week that as a fellow Zimbabwean and someone who was inspired by Mtukudzi’s music‚ he felt compelled to show his respects by painting the renowned star.
“Of course my biggest problem is transport but I will definitely do something for Oliver. Maybe at the memorial service I will be able to complete the drawing and hand over but I definitely have to do this one.”..