Dr. Thomas "Mukanya' Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited
Thomas Tafirenyika “Mukanya” Mapfumo was born in Marondera, Zimbabwe in 1945. His early childhood moments, saw him tapping the knack and interest for traditional music and instruments (ngoma, hosho and mbira) from his grandparents who were avid musicians in the village. Unbeknown to him, that early-stage set-up underlined with innocence would describe his future music career and earn him global fame. By the age of ten he lived in Mbare with his parents who worked in the city. At the time, Mbare was a black ghetto township; also a hub of protest movements against the segregationist colonial regime. That anarchic neighborhood exposed young Thomas to some early brushes with police brutality against restless freedom protesters. It was also in Mbare that Mapfumo became hooked to the stereo, finding a favorite pastime as he listened to diverse international music from famous stars of the day. That concentrated limelight would eventually inspire him to plot for a music career at that tender age.
Around 1973 Mapfumo joined his first group, the Hallelujah Chicken band in Mhangura, a small mining town. Initially, he had sang in English but quickly spotted a need to express himself in vernacular and please his local fans. That way, he would also spread consciousness and the call for freedom. He had a brief stint with the Hallelujah Chicken band before joining with others to form the Acid Band. Realizing a need for seriously pursuing his own Chimurenga music genre, he then founded the Blacks Unlimited around 1978. By then, Chimurenga music had eventually morphed into a symbol for the struggle against injustice as it assumed a distinct and threatening presence in war-torn Rhodesia. Through that music banner, he continued to taunt the colonial regime, denouncing poverty while advocating for freedom. Despite the colonial system reacting to the music with censure and repression, Mapfumo’s music irresistibly rocked the nation like a Hurricane as it remained unique, melodious, informative and equally gripping.
When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, Mukanya even shared the celebrations stage in Rufaro Stadium with the Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, opening more doors to international fame and recording opportunities in London. Despite his dedication to fighting colonial arbitrariness from the stage, Mapfumo even got busier in independent Zimbabwe as he would embark on a new Chimurenga theme. The looming corruption, grinding poverty, and the decaying rule of law blighted a promising Zimbabwe, saddening hopeful masses and inevitably pushing him to compose more lyrics as missiles for protest against his own government. To the surprise of many, the same music censorship characteristics of colonial Rhodesia also visited Mukanya upon his release of the “Corruption” album in independent Zimbabwe. With more pressing conditions, in 2000, he relocated to the USA and continued with his music.
In October 2012, he entered the hall of fame, getting a chance in a lifetime, through his being reverenced to perform at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City. As a venue mainly for top notch global musicians, such a humbling recognition to the Lion of Zimbabwe was made possible because of his historical contributions to the fight of freedom and social justice in Zimbabwe. After decades of scintillating compilations, Thomas Mapfumo, a.k.a. Gandanga (freedom fighter) has fearlessly spearheaded Chimurenga beats through his continued tremendous contributions to the struggle for a united, prosperous and comfortable Zimbabwe. His tireless liveliness in civil rights activism prod him to exploit his tools of trade to communicate with the public in song as he gets buoyed on amazingly consistent stamina.