Ernie's African Odyssey Part 55 - Zimbabwe

After a journey that started over 18 months ago we finally arrive at our final destination. This is not the final post in the series though. There are two more to come - one themed and one tying up some loose ends - before we can shake the dust from our shoes and settle down to enjoy a refreshing glass of Zambezi lager.

For this last leg we have made the short trip over the river named after the lager from Zambia to Zimbabwe. Like so many of the countries we have visited on our odyssey it is one with a troubled political history but a rich musical heritage. 

In our recent post on Zambia the 1970s Zamrock scene featured heavily. There wasn't an equivalent Zimrock scene on anything like the same scale, but there were a few bands who latched on to the heavy new sound from the north. One of these was Wells Fargo from Bulawayo whose members included the likes of the magnificently named Never Mpofu and Handsome Mabhiza. 

Fortunately the good folks at Now-Again took no notice of Mr Mpofu's subliminal messaging and a few years ago they released an excellent compilation of the band's mid-1970s singles called "Watch Out!". That is where you can find our opening feast of funk.

Zimbabwean music really came into its own in the 1980s with jit bands like The Bhundu Boys and The Four Brothers rightly gaining international recognition. All you hipsters will be familiar with them already which is why they are not included apart from a video (I couldn't leave them out completely).

Back home jit was often overshadowed by sungura and soukous, but collectively Zimbabwean musicians in the 1980s and 1990s were making some of the best pop music ever to emerge from Africa. The next four selections all feature artists from the golden age. 

Safirio Madzikatire was a comedian and musician and quite a character by all accounts. Highlights of this list of his achievements include using his wife as collateral during a particularly frenetic gambling session and being regularly deserted by his bands for reasons unspecified. The list rather understates the excellence of the singles he released with the Sea Cottage Sisters in the 1980s, of which this is one. 

System Tazvida formed the Chazezesa Challengers in the early 1990s having previous played as a sideman with various well-known bands. His own band blended elements of sungura, South African mbaqanga and traditional music and enjoyed great success locally until his untimely death in 1999 aged only 30. Today's track dates from 1995.

One of the bands that System that system used to play with were the Khiama Boys, formed in 1984 by Nicholas Zakaria. One of the leading exponents of 'pure' sungura, the band survived a split in 1997 when co-leader Alick Macheso went off in a huff to form his own band and were still making excellent music as recently as 2017. This is from their 2003 album "Munomgedzo". 

Admire Kazenga's career began in the early 1990s but it was not until he moved to Harare from rural Mashonaland up near the border with Mozambique that his career took off. "Auntie Rhoda" was a massive hit for him and the lads in 1996. He was another to leave us far too soon, passing away at 34 in 2004. 

As good and as many as Zimbabwe's musicians and bands were back then there was (and is) one man who stands above them all and bestrides the local music scene like a colossus  - the great Thomas Mapfumo. 

Mr Mapfumo's early career with the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band and the Acid Band had already established him as a force to be reckoned with - the Acid Band's 1978 album "Hokoyo!" being a particular highlight - but it was the creation of his patent Chimurenga sound with Blacks Unlimited that took him to another level entirely.

I found it almost impossible to choose just one track to represent Mr Mapfumo's music. In the end I opted for this 1981 single but Global Press Music have reissued a lot of his back catalogue at a mere $4 an album. Personal favourites include "Chimurenga For Justice" (1986), "Toi Toi" and "Zvichapera" (both 2002). I would encourage you to check out the Global Press Bandcamp page as there are also lots more top quality Zimbabwean albums to be found there at the same price. 

One of the features of Mr M's music over the years has been the use made of the mbira, a type of thumb piano used by the Shona people. One of the leading exponents of the mbira was Dumisani Maraire who was responsible for introducing it to North America. His son Tendai is the main man in Chimurenga Renaissance, based in Seattle but committed to honouring and updating Shona culture. This track comes from their 2020 album "Wona Baba Maraire" which features the mbira extensively.

And so to the MAR slot. Man Soul Jah (Joseph Nhara to his Mum) was a regular fixture on the Zim reggae scene in the 1990s and early 2000s before apparently packing it all in. He reemerged last year by releasing three new albums at the same time, his first recordings for 17 years. This track comes from "Shine Jah Light". The other two albums are "Mr Government Man" and "Mhoroi Chigwa".

Announcing his return his PR company stated that "with unwavering defiance, Man Soul Jah is poised to etch his name into history's sacred walls by orchestrating a triumphant symphony of courage, conviction, and creativity.” While I suspect history's sacred walls will remain largely unetched upon on this occasion, "courage, conviction, and creativity" is an apt description of many of the musicians we have featured during the series. 

"Love Is The In Thing" - Wells Fargo

"First Aid" - Safirio Madzikatire & Sea Cottage Sisters

"Anodyiwa Haataure" - System Tazvida & The Chazezesa Challengers

"Mutupo Umwechete" - Nicholas Zakaria & Khiama Boys

"Auntie Rhoda" - Admire Kasenga & Ngosimbi Crew

"Nyarai" - Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited

"Chimurenga Chitsva" - Chimurenga Renaissance

"Love This Reggae" - Man Soul Jah

We will start the video section with someone I once spent an enjoyably boozy evening with in swinging Shoreditch after he admired the sonar equipment for repelling rats that I happened to have on my person at the time. You had to be there really.

And be sure to pay attention to Jonah Moyo's pan-African message in the second video, which has happier news from Zimbabwe's neighbour to the south than Zeke does.