I was sent death threats and forced to flee country after taking stand at peak of my career.. now I sing on cruise ships
CRICKET legend Henry Olonga's singing career has seen him flee his homeland after death threats and take to the stage on cruise ships.
Olonga, 48, represented Zimbabwe at three World Cups and even formed a rivalry with Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar.
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And during his days as one of African cricket 's poster boys in the early 2000s, he released a song titled "Our Zimbabwe".
The patriotic ballad came in 2001 at a time of political violence when the nation was ruled by dictator Robert Mugabe.
Two years after the release of the single, he wore a black armband at the World Cup to protest at the "death of democracy".
Olonga received death threats after his gesture and was forced to flee his country.
He has never been back since and has not seen his father who remains in Zimbabwe for 20 years.
Olonga still sings to this day as he balances his time with cricket coaching and commentary work in Australia.
He even passed the blind audition for The Voice in 2019.
But his career did not take off and he recently sung on a cruise ship.
Olonga told The Telegraph: "It's not necessarily the peak of music performance being on a cruise ship.
"In fact, some people think that singers go to die on cruise ships.
"But I don't mind that. I don't have an ego about my music. I sing in little retirement villages, I've sung to school kids, I've sung in little bars in front of three people. I just love singing. I love performing."
On his brave protest, Olonga added: "I'm not just wagging a finger at people and that's what the black armband protest was about - we can be better as a country we can be better as politicians, we can be better as citizens. I got slaughtered for it."
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