AT least he was brave enough to bid farewell to his family and while they took it as a joke,  he turned round and quickly disappeared behind the thick veil that hang in the midst of a dark cloud, never to be seen again.
That was the eternal route of Ras Willie, the dreadlocked musician who made his intentions clear right from the beginning, while he was in the world of music.
Born William Mbewe some 50 years ago in Kabwe, Ras Willie is now no more but his legacy will remain for others to emulate and pick from where he has left off soldiering on and achieving the common goal that is, developing Zambian music.
It is naturally difficult to believe that the Kings Rhythms star could depart so soon when his family, friends and foes alike, were all expecting a lot from him.
Ras Willie was part of the very fabric that laid a firm foundation upon which Zamrock and other forms of Zambian music were developed and surprisingly, he has not lived life to the full to see how the local music industry could have evolved.
But of course, as a musician and business executive, he was a man who wanted to always do the best and probably succeed where others failed.
To those who knew him, the loss is too much to contemplate as expressed by one, Maiko Zulu, another dreadlocked musician who quipped, “Ras Willie was a soldier who always wanted change in the direction of Zambian music and of course, he was instrumental in ensuring that the change becomes a reality.”
This cannot pass without the input of veteran musician Brian Shakarongo Chengala who said Ras Willie’s spirit will linger on because his efforts were not vain.
Former Great Witch lead vocalist Jaggari Chanda who spend some time with his elder brother Chris Mbewe, as lead guitarist in the same band, was touched at the loss.

. Ras Willie

“Ras Willie may not have been as talented as his brother Chris, but he was a very determined and daring young man musically. He had a free and independent mind,” Chanda said.
Chanda also paid tribute to local musicians who buried their differences and came for Ras Willie’s funeral to offer spiritual support.
“I like the spirit of local musicians who came together to offer support. There should be some funds set aside for such occasions,” he added.
God Mother Violet Kafula, of the Mwe Balume Bandi fame, who performed with the original Cross Bones Band in the early 1970s, has this to say,” It is quite sad we lost the talent in the young man who was so vibrant and active in music. We will miss him alot. It is sad for the Mbewe family; I was very close to his late brother Chris. He was jovial.”
Kafula, fondly referred to as  Untie V, described him as a pro-active musician who was also actively involved in community work and was instrumental in seeing to it that a Police Post was set up in Zani Muone area where he lived.
Untie V added that, there was need for young musicians to work closely with senior artistes in issues like this.
The young generation does not see the importance of this.
His closest colleague Uncle Rex is still shocked about Ras Willie’s demise and will miss him greatly.
“Ras Willie’s death is a major set back to the music fraternity, we have lost a hard working guy who worked tirelessly to organise shows. This is very sad,” Uncle Rex said.
Veteran Zamrock musician Hector Sithole recalls how he was introduced to Ras Willie by his brother Chris whom he followed everywhere the Witch were performing.
“I was introduced to Ras Willie by his brother Chris in Mufulira in the 70s when he was a young man and jokingly said ba mudala (old man), you should teach me how to play the guitar, and you are a great guitarist. He was a very talented and successful musician,” Sithole added.
There was a strong touch of Zamrock in Ras Willie’s beat and it was a fact that he was on course to harness and promote it.
His fans will remember him in songs like Rub-a-Dub-a Musica, Songs of Joy and his powerful afro rock beat from the Luba Lunda album for example.
His recent release was Ras Willie and the Kings Rhythms.
Ras Willie was probably the first Zambian musician to sign on an international label for his Songs of Joy album, which was distributed globally by Teal Record Company.
The Songs of Joy album released in 1993, also hit number one slot on the Japanese musical charts on African music.
His music prowess hails from his parents who were accomplished musicians in their own rights and among his achievements was when he appeared with a British Reggae group, UB-40 at a show in Botswana in 1986.
He owned the Blue Notes recording studio in Lusaka but the journey has been cut short by his demise leaving behind a wife and five children.
The list of those already missing him is endless but nevertheless, Ras Willie was a man of the people and his brave strides into the unknown, closely monitored by a multitude of musicians from all walks of life, is not meaningless.
Ras Willie has left a legacy- May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.
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