Thomas Mapfumo

Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo, born in 1945 in Marondera, Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, began his musical career playing covers of American rock and soul music before joining Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, where he began adapting traditional music of the Shona to modern instrumentation and techniques. This process included transcribing the scales and sounds of the mbira to electric guitar.

He invented and popularized Chimurenga music - literally "struggle" in Shona - which was often overtly political. In addition to his modern incarnation of traditional music, his lyrics were sung in Shona. In the late 1970s singing in Shona instead of English was a political statement in and of itself. In Mapfumo's case, it was specifically critical of the white ruling class of Rhodesia. The government, underestimating his popularity, eventually banned his records and imprisoned Mapfumo without charges in 1979. After a series of large protests demanding his release, he was set free three months later.

Though he initially celebrated the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980, he became increasingly disillusioned with the regime of Robert Mugabe. This was, again, reflected in the music he produced throughout the 1980s; mostly as Thomas Mapfumo And The Blacks Unlimited. His lyrics often addressed issues of poverty and social development. After a campaign of government-sponsored harassment, he emigrated to the United States, where he continues to live.

Links To Peel
Peel first heard Mapfumo's music in the early 80's through the Earthworks record label and saw him performed live with The Blacks Unlimited in Zimbabwe when he visited the country with his wife, the pig, in 1988, as part of the BBC World Service. On his show from 10 December 1993 (BFBS), Peel described the gig in Zimbabwe:


 * "I've only been to Zimbabwe once, but if I wasn't so frightened of flying, I'd be there on an annual basis. ... I went to see Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, the Pig and myself, to see them playing away out in the bush somewhere, and we were the only white people who were there. And we could not have been treated more generously. We walked in there and they didn't make us pay or anything. No guest list, just walked straight in, a fella came up to me and said "You've not been here before. Here, you have this beer and I'll go and get myself another one". And I thought, that would not happen to you if you turned up in a venue in London, I very much regret."

In 1998, Peel curated Meltdown, an annual arts festival and had full control on who would perform at the festival and one of the artists he invited was Thomas Mapfumo And The Blacks Unlimited, who performed on 30th June 1998.

Sessions

 * 1) Recorded: 1998-07-07. Broadcast: 11 August 1998
 * Dai Pasina Satani / Chickende / Mukadzi Wemukoma / Usatambe Nenyoka

Other Shows Played
1983 1984 1985 1989 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1998
 * 29 November 1983: Nyoka Musango (LP - Ndangariro) Earthworks
 * 05 December 1984: Usatambe Nenyoka (LP - Mabasa) Earthworks
 * 29 January 1985: Usatambe Nenyoka (album - Mabasa) Earthworks
 * Peel January 1985: Usatambe Nenyoka (album - Mabasa) Earthworks
 * tbc
 * tbc
 * tbc
 * 10 December 1993 (BFBS): Buko Tiende (album - Hondo) Zimbob
 * tbc
 * tbc
 * 08 July 1998: Soccer Lions (LP - Football Africa) Realworld