Culture
Thomas Mapfumo Concert, Presentation this Week
< < Back toThomas Mapfumo, “The Lion of Zimbabwe,” will share his mbira-infused “Chimurenga” music this Wednesday evening at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville.
It’s part of two events spotlighting the 15th anniversary of Mapfumo’s honorary doctorate from Ohio University. The other is a talk by Banning Eyre, producer of PRI’s Afropop Worldwide, the author of Lion Songs: Thomas Mapfumo and the Music that Made Zimbabwe, and a renowned musician in his own right.
Born in Marondera, Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia), in 1945, Mapfumo has performed internationally since the 1970s. His early childhood was filled with traditional music and instruments (ngoma, hosho and mbira), which would form the basis of his own music, called Chimurenga (meaning “struggle” in his native Shona).
In 1973 Mapfumo joined his first group, the Hallelujah Chicken Band. Initially, he sang in English but then felt the need to express himself in Shona vernacular–not only to please his local fans, but to make a political statement in a country ruled by a minority of white individuals.
Mapfumo founded Blacks Unlimited, a group with which he performs to this day, in 1978. By then, Chimurenga music had morphed into a symbol for the struggle against injustice in war-torn Rhodesia. Through that music banner, Mapfumo continued to taunt the colonial regime, denouncing poverty and advocating for freedom.
His 1978 song “Hokoyo!” (“Watch out!”) was banned from state-controlled radio and the government imprisoned him without charges in 1979. Mapfumo’s music continued to be played in clubs and independent radio stations, which led to demonstrations protesting his arrest. He was released from prison after three months.
When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Mapfumo shared the stage in Rufaro Stadium with Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, which opened more doors to international fame and recording opportunities in London. With the release of his album Corruption (1989), Mapfumo became the target of harassment from the Robert Mugabe administration. He eventually relocated to the U.S. in 2000 and has continued to tour, record and create awareness of conditions in his home country.
Banning Eyre met Mapfumo while doing research for public radio’s Afropop Worldwide in 1988.
“I was already a fan of his music. I’d become fascinated by mbira music while at Wesleyan University in the mid-’70s, so when I heard that sound played on electric guitars a few years later, I was hooked,” he said.
Eyre quickly learned that there was much more to Mapfumo’s story and music, with his catalog of recordings serving as an introduction to African traditional and modern music.
“His story was so deeply tied to Zimbabwean history that I decided to take a deep dive with the aim of writing a book,” explained Eyre. “After my fourth trip to Zimbabwe in 2001, I started writing in earnest. The process largely took over my life at times. This is the deepest and most life-changing of all my interactions with African musical traditions and artists. Mapfumo is a rare individual, an inspired and intuitive composer, a stylistic visionary, and a man with a unique grasp of social realities. All this has led him over and over to write the right song at the right moment and to command exceptional attention among Zimbabweans. I’ve long felt that music is underrepresented in standard historical narratives…Mapfumo provides a powerful object lesson, and I hope my book encourages others to approach history through the lens of music.”
Eyre’s upcoming talk about Mapfumo, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Ohio University’s Schoonover Center (room 450), will be broken up into three parts.
“First, I’ll give an overview of the subject: the man, the music, the history. If all the tech cooperates, this will be a multimedia presentation with images, music, interview clips from Mapfumo, and two short videos,” he said. “Then I will read a few key passages from the book. Finally, I’ll pick up my guitar to demonstrate mbira guitar and perform one of my favorite early Mapfumo tunes. After the presentation, I’ll take questions and sign books.”
Wednesday’s show, presented in cooperation with Arts For Ohio, Ohio University African Studies, Ohio University Multicultural Programs, OU Black Student Cultural Programming Board and OU Performing Arts & Concert Series, begins at 7 p.m. at Stuart’s Opera House. A limited number of free tickets are available for Ohio University students. For tickets, visit stuartsoperahouse.org.
Eyre’s talk is free and open to the public. For more information about Banning Eyre, visit banningeyre.com.