Thomas Mapfumo

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Thomas Mapfumo is a Zimbabwean musician, born in 1945 in Marondera, then still in Southern Rhodesia, which was under British rule. Until the age of ten he grew up in a traditional Shona way of life in the countryside, and then moved with his family to the township of Mbare near Harare. There he came to know the traditional music of the Shona, with the ngoma drum and the mbira, an instrument with metal tongues that has a spiritual significance. At sixteen he sang in his first band. Later he played with, among others, Oliver Mtukudzi.

Music and breakthrough

Mapfumo brought traditional Shona music into pop and sang in his own language. In a country governed by a white minority, that was already a political statement. His lyrics became openly political and supported the rural uprising. The style is called chimurenga. His song Hokoyo!, which means Watch out!, was banned from state radio, and in 1979 he was put in a prison camp without being charged. After the elections of 1980 he performed at a celebration concert, together with Bob Marley. Later he criticised the Mugabe government and lived for twenty years in exile in the United States. In 2018 he returned for a concert. His albums include Hokoyo! from 1978, Ndangariro from 1983 and Rise Up from 2006.

Influence

Mapfumo has influenced Zimbabwean musicians such as the Bhundu Boys and Stella Chiweshe. He shows how popular music can become the voice of a people.

Listening

• 
  Ndanzwa Ngoma Kurira · Thomas Mapfumo, 1984

Discography

Studio albums

• 1978Hokoyo!
• 1983Ndangariro
• 2006Rise Up
• ?Unplugged

Mentioned in other articles

• Mbira GenreIn the 1970s the mbira became a symbol of the struggle for independence, and Thomas Mapfumo translated its patterns to the electric guitar.