Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo (born July 3, 1945) is a Zimbabwean musician. He is nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wields through his music, including his sharp criticism of the government of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. He both created and popularized Chimurenga music, and is known for his distinctive voice and slow-moving style.
Mapfumo was imprisoned without charges under the white-dominated regime of Rhodesia, and he was hounded by the Mugabe government of Zimbabwe that succeeded it. He lived in exile in the United States for two decades, and in April 2018, returned to Zimbabwe for the first time since 2005 to perform a concert.
Biography
Mapfumo was born in 1945 in Marondera, Mashonaland East, a town southeast of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, though at the time the capital was called Salisbury and the country was a colony of Great Britain called Southern Rhodesia (becoming Rhodesia in ordinary usage after Northern Rhodesia gained independence as Zambia). He lived a traditional, rural Shona lifestyle until the age of ten, when his family moved to the Harare township of Mbare.
Early career
He joined his first band, the Zutu Brothers (although, Encyclopædia Britannica says it was the Cyclones), as a singer at the age of 16. From then he was always in one band or another, such as The Wagon Wheels with Afro jazz musician Oliver Mtukudzi and guitarist James Chimombe sometimes doing odd jobs on the side as well, including chicken farming. Hence the name of his 1972 band, the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band.
Political overtones
Mapfumo's music caught the attention of the Rhodesian government with his song "Hokoyo!", meaning "Watch out!"