Oct 13/04
Shona Struggle
Oops, did I say that this site was all about West African music? Wait, wasn’t it Senegal week? Forget about it. Some guy on a moped cut me off on the way to work today so forget Senegal. In fact, forget West Africa. We’re heading south today where we’ll find some rock n roll meets traditional Zimbabwe.
Regardless of which colour is ruling the country, Zimbabwe seems forever entrapped in dictatorships and misfortune. It just can’t get it together despite being one of Africa’s potentially richest nations. Racial hatred, power-hungry oligarchs and widespread corruption continue to cripple the country.
Activists like Thomas Mapfumo have taken the constant struggle that your average Zim national faces and turned it into a form of music. He mixes traditional Shona mbira music with politics and Western sounds to come up with his own musical style, chimurenga, which means ‘struggle’ in Shona.
Mapfumo, the “lion of Zimbabwe”, is an amazing musician. He tours often so you may be able to catch a live show. In the meantime give the tracks below a listen. You can find both of them on the excellent best-of album, Chimurenga Forever.
Thomas Mapfumo – Hwahwa (beer)
Thomas Mapfumo – Zvandiviringa (I am in trouble)
[...] t a lot like the Saratoga bar with The Four Brothers then I’m not going. I’ve posted Thomas Mapfumo on this site, but he’s not the only one in his family wit [...]
my name is shona and i didnt think my name meant anything
[...] the 1970s Zimbabwean group, the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band. Thomas Mapfumo, who you must’ve heard before, was a notable member along with guitarist Joshua Hlomayi [...]
[...] started out his career with the band Wagon Wheels alongside future great Thomas Mapfumo. (Anyone have any Wagon Wheels they could trade, by the way?) Tuku has evolved into more of a pop [...]