Chimurenga

Style musical zimbabwéen de la lutte pour l'indépendance

Chimurenga

Chimurenga is the musical and cultural style of Zimbabwe that accompanied the struggle for independence (chimurenga = “revolution” in Shona). Born in the 1960s-70s under colonial rule, this style fuses traditional Shona rhythms (mbira, hosho) with Western pop and folk music.

The founding figures of chimurenga are Ephraim Awom and especially Thomas Mapfumo, the father of chimurenga, who used the mbira to express the aspirations of the Shona people. Chimurenga contributed to the fall of Ian Smith’s regime and is still practiced in Zimbabwe.

References

Countries

Zimbabwe

Artists

Thomas Mapfumo

Thomas Mapfumo