By Takura Zhangazha*
Thomas Mapfumo’s latest and recently released in Zimbabwe
album is titled “Dangerzone’. It has been a while since he last released an
album with new songs for his fans and the general public. Already it is apparent
that the album will not receive much airplay on radio stations because some of
the songs are intended at raising the political and social consciousness of
Zimbabweans. It is an intention that sadly remains unpalatable to the powers
that be. Especially where the state broadcast media is used for propaganda
purposes.
What is apparent is that Mukanya is an artist who in Steve
Biko parlance, ‘writes/sings what he likes’.
And the people of Zimbabwe know this. Including the historical habit he
has acquired of being a much respected and loved griot where it comes to
explaining and warning about events in his home country. So the limited airplay this album gets from
the state media does not take away its significance to national consciousness.
This latest offering which hit the streets and flea markets
last week belongs to the hearts and
minds of all Zimbabweans. Not only in
its expressing their deep felt desires for a peaceful, democratic country but
also for continuing to place our musical heritage on the world music map.
In this Mukanya places Chimurenga music into sharp
consciousness for global consumption while simultaneously talking to his own
domestic audience that he has hope and belief that eventually things will work
out in Zimbabwe.
Listening to the album one is struck by the depth of his reflection
on our contemporary Zimbabwean and international realities.
From the first track which refers to a husband/boyfriend’s disappointment at being rejected by his lover
it is evident Mukanya is continually sensitive as to how love relationships
are constrained in contemporary Zimbabwe.
‘Chikonzero’, is a finely tuned song, that can be viewed as a reflection
of why our country’s civil courts are flooded with divorce cases. And its all about the money on either side.
The second and title track 'Dangerzone', is a reflection of
how global conflicts in Syria, Nigeria are
making the world a much more dangerous place to live in. True to its lyrics, we
all want to know ‘what’s going on’ and how these wars can be stopped.
On the third track, ‘Zimbabwe’ he urges all Zimbabweans to
unite and find common ground on the challenges facing the country. He takes
this theme a notch further in another track on the same album, ‘Hatidi Politics’
where he laments the over politicization of basic issues such as health and
education.
The most blunt song is perhaps track number four, 'Nhamo
Hurombo' in which Mukanya asks the stark question ‘who has caused so much poverty in the country?’.
Inferences can be drawn as to who he means when he refers to ‘sekuru’, ‘ambuya’,
‘tete’, ‘baba’, ‘amai’ as being the causers of poverty. Either way we are all
talking about this same said poverty in the kombis and in our bedrooms is the
slightly satirical assertion he makes in the song.
The album also has songs that are testimony of easy on the
ear Chimurenga music. The new version of the classic ‘Shebeen’ is a dance-able
tune that has new backing vocalists to make it trendy and contemporary. Furthermore the tracks ‘Celebrate’, ‘Chikwereti’,
‘Music’ and ‘Are You Ready’ augment the fact that Chimurenga music is not just
about lyrics but more importantly, instrumentation. They are also testament to
the fact that Mukanya remains one of the best composers of music Zimbabwe has
ever produced.
As is the norm, the album does not forget the origins of its
genre and therefore includes the effervescent mbira instrument in two tracks,
‘Varimudande’ and ‘Pasi Idandaro’. In
the former track, one is reminded of the traditional music played by and for
spirit mediums while the latter track reminds listeners of that which we fear
most, mortality.
For Chimurenga music fans like myself, this album is a gem
and justifies why it was long in the making. For Zimbabweans,
this album is both a reminder of our common destiny as it is one to entertain
us despite the daily hardships that we face.
Once again, Mukanya has demonstrated that even though he is far away, he
has his country and its people in his heart, mind and music.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment