‘Chimurenga’ is the Shona word for ‘struggle’. This was the word picked by Thomas Mapfumo, to call his music style, a fusion of Zimbabwean traditional music and rock, where the guitar is played as if it was a mbira, a very popular instrument in Southern Africa.
‘Struggle’ is a word that represents what Thomas Mapfumo has done during his life. As a political activist, his music has revolutionary lyrics, asking for the human rights and social justice. He was prosecuted by the government, his music banned, and he was detained for three months as a political prisoner in 1979. He made, however, many friends there, prisoners and guards alike, as his music and personality were loved and admired by everyone.
Mapfumo didn’t sing many love songs, as he commented: "All you need if you wanna get into the bedroom... You've got a wife. You do it. You don't have to sing a song about it."
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