Thomas Mapfumo 1998-2002 BBC Sessions

Thomas with Guitar
from gallery at thomas-mapfumo.com

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. In 2018.April he returned for the first time since 2005 to Zimbabwe to perform a concert.
Wanna know more? Read at thomas-mapfumo, realworldrecords and wiki

Listen to Chiruzevha Chapera of the 2002 Kershaw Session:


MAPFUMO-THOMAS-1998-2002_BBC Sessions


1998.Jul.07 - Radio 1 Peel Session - bc.1998.Aug.11
tracklist: 1.Dai Pasina Satani / 2.Chickende* / 3.Mukadzi Wemukoma* / 4.Usatambe Nenyoka
*two tracks only from rpt.2017.Dec.04, BBC 6music Gideon Coe; tracks 1 and 4 missing
bonus: Buko Tiende* (from Hondo, 1991) played by Peel in his 1993.Dec.10 show at BFBS, incl.talk about Mapfumo concert in Zimbabwe

2002.Dec.13 - BBC Radio3 Andy Kershaw - Thomas Mapfumo in session
note: date is of broadcast, recording date unknown
tracklist: intro* / 1.Mukadzi Wamukoma* / interview* / 2.Pfumvu Pa Ruzeva* / band members* // intro* / 3.Chiruzevha Chapera* / outro*

Other known sessions for BBC Radio:
-bc.1990.Aug.12, BBC Radio 1 - Andy Kershaw with Thomas Mapfumo (no audio, nor tracklist, yet)


More music by Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited:

• live, singles and video at worldservice blog
• several vinyl albums at globalgroovers (incl.more Chimurenga musicians!)

Background information about and with Thomas Thomas Mapfumo at:

• 1985.April: Thomas Mapfumo - Lion of Zimbabwe - interview in The (Reggae & African) Beat magazine
• 2015.Mar.15: Thomas Mapfumo interview BBC Africa soundclound
  Zimbabwean musician Thomas Mapfumo speaks to Fred Dove about his unique approach to tackling music piracy.
• 2015.Sep.11: The life and music of Thomas Mapfumo - Radio WBEZ Worldview
• 2015.May.02: Letter from Africa - Thomas Mapfumo, Zimbabwe's lion, roars for his fans - BBC News article
  In the series of letters from Africa, journalist-turned-barrister Brian Hungwe reflects on the return from exile of Zimbabwean musician Thomas Mapfumo four months after Robert Mugabe's resignation as president.
• 2018.Aug.26: The Art of Now - True Jit - BBC Radio 4
  Tayo Popoola looks at the changing face of the Zimbabwean music scene since the fall of Robert Mugabe, incl.interview with Thomas Mapfumo.

NEVER EVER FORGET:

"il faut me pardonner - you must forgive me"

Pap Djah's last words before left on his own in the Sahara desert (in Niger)