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Thomas Mapfumo

In the 1990s, a story was told of how Chumurenga music guru Thomas Mapfumo , refused to be compared with other, less eminent musicians.
He described them in derogatory, obscene terms.
According to this story, the superstar blurted expletives on air, much to the mortification of the interviewer and listeners.

But Mapfumo would not back down and actually repeated the obscenities!

It became an urban legend and one that inspired many a naughty giggle among young people.

Before writing, we had to clarify with a spokesman of the legendary singer whether indeed that old story was true.

The spokesman said it was not true.

However, a few days ago, the musician gave us something very close to that infamous foul-mouthed rant of legend.

Mukanya, as he is known, was a panellist during a live radio programme with zanu-pf UK chairman Nick Mangwana and a South Africa-based activist.

The musician appeared not too keen to stand toe-to-toe with Mangwana and engage in a discussion on Zimbabwe.

The conversation – and in particular Mapfumo’s rant – would have been quite hilarious, reminding us of those naughty young days – were it not so voluminous on the tragedy and joke that Mapfumo has allowed himself to become.

Here is a man – perhaps Zimbabwe’s best musician ever – who has allowed his political bitterness to corrode not only his legacy but also his humanity and respect that we all had for him.

The Mukanya of today is just a poor joke and a moron.

And this is not about his political utterances or views: it is about a man who has become so detached from reality and appears to stew in the bile of his poor choices.

But it will be nice for those of us who did not follow the story to catch up a bit. Nehanda Radio has a transcript of the exchanges.

Mangwana is telling us that President Mugabe was chosen by his party and people of Zimbabwe and that is how he has remained the leader of the country.

Mapfumo interjects Mangwana: “Vaka chuzwa nani, tirikuda kunzwa kuti ndiani akavachuza, haikona kutaura zve mangamanga mhani iwe. (We want to know who chose Mugabe, don’t talk nonsense.)

Mangwana: Kana tichiita conversation, handiti mabvunza mubvunzo….
Mapfumo: Aiwa conversation uchitaura zvinhu zvemangamanga, marubbish iwayo, ndo conversation yacho iyoyo, uri kutaura zvinhu zvisina musoro, murume mukuru haunyare? Vaka chuzwa nani, havana kubira Tsvangirai maelections? Vakachuzwa nani, ndati vakachuzwa nani, ivo vakabira maelections?
Mangwana: I am not going to get into this . . .
Mapfumo: Aiwa pfutseki iwe hauna nemusoro, aiwa handichada nyaya yenyu iyi, handichada kutaura nezve… munhu uyu akapusa. Tirikushupika isu, ngaarege kutaura muromo waari kutaura uyu, handidi kutaura naye munhu uyu.”

Mangwana hangs up the phone and Mapfumo further abuses Mangwana before hanging up himself, clearly leaving the moderator red-faced.

A tragicomedy
We stated already that you would find this hilarious, in other places and time.

But this is a whole grown up man – at the ripe age of 71 – stooping so low to hurl insults, live on radio at somebody he does not agree with.

He clearly does not like views opposed to his and he tells us that he is fighting the alleged evil and dictatorship of the system and President Mugabe.

If these two people were together in one room, there could have been a scuffle for certain with Mukanya being trusted to beat up poor Mangwana.

We remember another story.

Mapfumo has always been known to carry a violent streak and is said to have once caused the abduction, head-shaving and humiliation of a music rival.

But his latest outburst is even more symbolic.

Such intolerance has of late become the hallmark of opposition activists in the country who, most ironically, preach democracy and human rights with the other corner of the mouth.

Opposition activists have been known to terrorise zanu-pf supporters abroad and have in some instances caused their deportation.

They are no more than a pack of vindictive hyenas, and if you followed the coverage of the Mapfumo-Mangwana incident in the private and Internet based news media aligned to the opposition, you would not mistake the evident glee with which they treated the encounter.

And what Mapfumo showed us is that if people like him have any power, they will abuse it in the most barbaric and savage way against foes.

This is 2017.

You wouldn’t expect Thomas Mapfumo to behave in a disgraceful manner like this.

But then – as we pointed out – Mapfumo’s brand of politics of intolerance is even manifest in the leader of the supposed democratic party, MDC-T, whose leader has in the past unleashed thugs on internal party rivals.

MDC-T has also been known to start violence in the country.

A bitter old man
But here is the catch.

Mapfumo is a frustrated man and his venting of anger on Mangwana tells us a lot about the dwindling fortunes of the opposition.

Mapfumo has designated himself one of the ruling party’s biggest critics and he has tied his life to the opposition winning against zanu-pf.

That victory is hard to come by and one can imagine Mapfumo counting the years that he has lost.

He is, by the way, in self-imposed exile in the United States and has over the years lived there on condition that he continues to oppose and undermine the Government in Harare.

That’s how he has earned all those years in the US.

But it is, needless to say, that a man sometimes misses home – especially one who imposed a needless banishment on himself and we are told has been living rough.

It has been rumoured that he has been living in such humble abodes as caravans as he stays on the fringe of society.

Mukanya is 71-years-old.

The life he is living is obviously not good for him and the proud legacy of his music and contribution to the country.

Yet it is all self-inflicted.

He is an angry old man.

His unmitigated rant at Mangwana is a sign of a man in distress.

We trust that when he slept at night he must have felt ashamed of himself.

Such a disgrace!