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ChimurengaChimurenga is a style of music from Zimbabwe. The word translates from the Shona language as "struggle" and it relates - originally - to the struggle between the native peoples and the white colonial regime in the 1970s to 1980s. The style is dominated by male singer-songwriter Thomas Mapfumo, who also gave it its name. Mapfumo was the first Zimbabwean singer to write his own songs - in itself a radical step. His songs feature very poetic lyrics in the Shona language, often with heavy use of metaphor and references which the non-Zimbabwean listener will not appreciate. Thomas Mapfumo traveled to the United States in the late 60's and picked up on the acid rock/british invasion/protest movement. He then returned with the sounds of rock guitar in his head. At this time though the English had colonized Zimbabwe and split it into different sections. The British called the country Rhodesia. Thomas Mapfumo mixed traditional mbira with the western music that he heard and started a huge protest movement for liberation from the British. He eventually succeeded and went down in history as the Lion of Zimbabwe. Musically, Chimurenga is based around the sound of the mbira or "thumb-piano", a wooden instrument with keys which are played by pressing on them with the thumb or fingers. Mapfumo's band, the Blacks Unlimited, were radical in the sense that they took this instrument - effectively an acoustic, folk instrument - and treated it as an electric guitar, even going as far as to tune mbira to the notes of a guitar. With the departure of the colonial regime and the installation of Robert Mugabe, Mapfumo turned his lyrics to the problems caused by Mugabe's administration. As Mugabe has become increasingly authoritarian and erratic in his leadership, Mapfumo has returned to his Chimurenga roots in order to criticise the regime.
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