The 'Lion of Zimbabwe' Roars for All of Us
Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 10/04/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thomas Mapfumo has been the musical voice of protest in Zimbabwe and all of southern Africa for three decades. Easily the most famous singer in his native country, Mapfumo lives in exile from the regime of robert Mugabe, and his music is banned at home. But Mapfumo doesn't sing his protest only against one corrupt dictator. Here are some lines from his earlier 'chimarenga' (struggle) songs:
"Corruption is like a disease that plagues the whole world. There are many leaders and others with power who are misleading the people.The songs remind everyone that corruption is everywhere and that no one can run away from justice."
"This song is about the exploitation of the poor by the rich. There comes a time of confrontation when the poor say enough, we will not be controlled by those who do not practice what they preach."
"This song is about family men who spend all their time and lose all their money in pubs and 'shabeens' with 'girls of sport'."
Mapfumo's gruff baritone voice is an instrument as lyrical or as fierce as he wants it to be. It's a voice that can't be doubted. His singing/chanting cries of protest are backed up by music that can only be heard as richly joyful. If these songs are to be sung in the streets of protest, then the singers will be dancing. The source of Mapfumo's music is tribal Africa, as any amount of listening to ethnographic field recordings would show. The complex layers of duple and triple rhythm, expressed in melodic patterns based on the sound of the mbira (thumb piano), are ancestral, as is Mapfumo's cascade-of-words delivery. Recent CDs show a steadily growing international influence on Mapfumo, especially the influence of reggae, and more readiness to incorporate the "high life" jazz sounds of African pop music. There is a kind of 'disconnect' between the anguish often expressed in Mapfumo's words and the exuberance of his music, but that disconnect is ours, not his. Mapfumo is a man of joy in a world of sorrow."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1