His skits on various social media platforms, where he embodies the late former president’s speech and mannerisms, have garnered a large following and earned him opportunities to interact with top Government officials.

Mukudzei Chirume was accompanied by his self-invented team of bodyguards. His resemblance to the late former president, accentuated by make-up that mimics his distinctive features like the straight line of beard under the nose, is striking.

In his welcome remarks, Mr Hamid Bakhtiyar, the Cultural Counsellor noted that the Cultural Centre of the Embassy of Iran is open to cooperating with artists, influencers and media content creators from the city of Bulawayo, Chirume’s home city.

Such cooperation would be through joint exhibitions and festivals between Zimbabwean and Iranian artists.

He said given some opportunities, Mr Chirume and other artists can visit Iran as cultural ambassadors who would then come back to tell the Iranian story to their Zimbabwean followers.

He said Iran was also assisting with the development of Zimbabwe’s human capital needs through granting some deserving Zimbabwean students some scholarships to study at Iranian universities in the fields of their choice, which are mostly in the sciences field.

Reacting to Mr Bakhtiyar’s welcome remarks, Mr Chirume said his visit to the cultural centre was mainly to express his solidarity to the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as to have an understanding of Iranian culture. He further thanked Mr Bakhtiyar for the excellent welcome reception that was extended to him. He expressed his willingness to work closely with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the promotion of mutually beneficial cultural relations.