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)