Thomas Mapfumo

NYCSS93_serenityAround 1973 Mapfumo joined his first group, the Hallelujah Chicken band in Mhangura, a small mining town. Initially, he had sang in English but quickly spotted a need to express himself in vernacular and please his local fans. That way, he would also spread consciousness and the call for freedom. He had a brief stint with the Hallelujah Chicken band before joining with others to form the Acid Band. Realizing a need for seriously pursuing his own Chimurenga music genre, he then founded the Blacks Unlimited around 1978. By then, Chimurenga music had eventually morphed into a symbol for the struggle against injustice as it assumed a distinct and threatening presence in war-torn Rhodesia. Through that music banner, he continued to taunt the colonial regime, denouncing poverty while advocating for freedom. Despite the colonial system reacting to the music with censure and repression, Mapfumo’s music irresistibly rocked the nation like a Hurricane as it remained unique, melodious, informative and equally gripping. Thomas & ChiedzaWhen Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Mukanya even shared the celebrations stage in Rufaro Stadium with the Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, opening more doors to international fame and recording opportunities in London. Despite his dedication to fighting colonial arbitrariness from the stage, Mapfumo even got busier in independent Zimbabwe as he would embark on a new Chimurenga theme. The looming corruption, grinding poverty, and the decaying rule of law blighted a promising Zimbabwe, saddening hopeful masses and inevitably pushing him to compose more lyrics as missiles for protest against his own government. To the surprise of many, the same music censorship characteristics of colonial Rhodesia also visited Mukanya upon his release of the “Corruption” album in independent Zimbabwe. With more pressing conditions, in 2000, he relocated to the USA and continued with his music. Thomas, Chiedza and ChrisIn October 2012, he entered the hall of fame, getting a chance in a lifetime, through his being reverenced to perform at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City. As a venue mainly for top notch global musicians, such a humbling recognition to the Lion of Zimbabwe was made possible because of his historical contributions to the fight of freedom and social justice in Zimbabwe. After decades of scintillating compilations, Thomas Mapfumo, a.k.a. Gandanga (freedom fighter) has fearlessly spearheaded Chimurenga beats through his continued tremendous contributions to the struggle for a united, prosperous and comfortable Zimbabwe. His tireless liveliness in civil rights activism prod him to exploit his tools of trade to communicate with the public in song as he gets buoyed on amazingly consistent stamina.