Chimurenga Music now among African Genres considered for one to win a Grammy.

Gaining global success and acknowledgement has been a goal for many local artists over the years, leaving an imprint on the global scale, showing the entire world that Zimbabwe is also a creative hub. After years of various artists pushing our sound, touring across the world showcasing their talents it has finally bore fruit. Chimurenga Music has gained international recognition, this has been signaled by its addition to the music genres considered for one to win a Grammy under the Best African Music Performance. It’s the only truly Zimbabwean sound on the genres list, most of them we copy but this one is ours, other have to do the copying. 

The biggest, most impactful and well-travelled artists from Zimbabwe that have been gracing international festivals, foreign radio stations and foreign restaurants world over have all been pushing traditional music, iconic bands and artists such Bhundu Boys, Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso Maraire, Stella Chiweshe and Mokoomba all fall into the Traditional sound and its fitting that all that music has been largely classified as Chimurenga. After all their hard work, touring, hosting seminars, lecturers, interviews we finally see the reward of their efforts

Chimurenga is defined as music that makes use of the Mbira instrument or is greatly inspired by the Mbira (Mbira Guitar Playing style) and can be mixed with various other instruments. The best example of such a sound is Thomas Mapfumo’s music. As you can see from the definition the genre is quite broad and flexible unlike our local definition of Chimurenga which largely means music from Thomas Mapfumo and some similar sounding artists such as Farai Pio Macheka or Kurai Makore. The global definition however expands the category and includes many sounds and styles we have, mostly those sounds we locally refer to as Mbira music, Jiti music and all other forms of Traditional music. The broader definition will include but not limited to artists such as; Jah Prayzah, Hope Masike, Mary Anibal, Andy Muridzo, Vee Mhofu, Mbira Dzenharira…just to mention a few. Late legends such as Chiwoniso Maraire, Oliver Mtukudzi, Bhundu Boys, Stella Chiweshe...etc would have all fit into this category. This definition is good in that it gives the artists space to create music and make use of the mbira instrument in their preferred way.

This opens up a lot of opportunities and demands for various stakeholders in the arts industry:

For Producers:

This offers local producers a platform to lead the growth and evolution of the sound, give Chimurenga a modern touch that ensures it carves its space on the global music scene. This gives a platform for current producers to also introduce many yesteryear legends as they take the mantle from where they left. For instance a re-imagining of Ndibvumbamirei by the Four Brothers, if well executed that cxan be a global hit whilst also making sure the world gets to know the Four Brothers. Mukanya and other artists have done their part it now left to the current producers and sound engineers to show they can surpass what the legends did. Chimurenga does not have to sound the same, the Mbira is very versatile and works with various arrangements. It will be easier for other subgenres that will come out of Chimurenga to get global recognition, so its up to the producers to be as creative as they can.

This also opens doors to international collaborations between foreign producers and local ones. There are many big global producers and artists who are interested in learning various music genres and a producer who is good at making Chimurenga music will be a top pick for those situations. Just as Nigerian producers have worked with big names who are fans of Afro Beats such an opportunity will be available for our local producers who push Chimurenga forward.

For Artists:

Those local artists who are ambitious and desire to leave a mark on the global map, Chimurenga music is the best way to do so. We Zimbabweans own the sound, we are the template and the standard of the sound meaning anyone interested in Chimurenga music will have to learn from us, study us and once they copy it they will be judged according to our standards. If the Grammy’s Judges wants to decide whether a song is a good Chimurenga song or not, they have to listen to Thomas Mapfumo, or other Zimbabwean artists before passing a judgement. So for local artists this is a chance to show the word we can create something special.

I have always felt it was nearly impossible for local artists to gain global fame whilst copying, we can never beat the Nigerians at Afro Beatz, the Jamaicans at Dancehall/Reggae, the South Africans at Amapiano, the Congolese at Rhumba, same as they cannot beat us at Chimurenga. Because of this inclusion, Chimurenga now has the same weight as those African genres we copy. This means on the global scale the chances of a Chimurenga song winning the Grammy are equal to an Afro Beat/Amapiano track. Previously it seemed impossible for local artists to carve space for themselves given the success of artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tems, Kabza De Small, Tyla, Fally Ipupa but now we can!!, if we make serious noise for Jah Prayzah he now has a favorable chance to win that Best African Music Performance Grammy Award against those names. Winning an award like a Grammy is not necessarily about popularity but quality, influence and impact plus also a load of behind-the-scenes politics. So, for any local artist to have a chance to be nominated and to win a Grammy they just need to have the best Chimurenga song  out there.

Certain international festivals that overlooked Zimbabwean artists will now be open to them. Diversity is an important part of many globally successful festivals and Chimurenga music will now have a slot at those festivals. Yes, at first, we will be given the small stages but as we prove ourselves, we move to the bigger stages and more Chimurenga artist’s will be demanded.

This also opens the doors for considerations in movie or tv series soundtracks, Directors are always on the lookout for unique music to help convey certain emotions they want and as we push and perfect our sound, Chimurenga songs will start to enter into the frame.

Once more artists start furthering the Chimurenga sound, more and more global award events will start to add Chimurenga, just as they did with Afro Beats and currently Amapiano. The Grammy’s are the most prestigious globally so once they accept you others will likely follow suit.

For Fans:

Now we can have something that can unite us, something we can channel our serious online presence for the benefit of the entire industry. Lets view, stream, share, post about about our traditional sound. Most artists copy foreign sound because those sounds are pulling big numbers so once we start supporting our local  traditional sound more, we will see many artists going for that sound. The recognition is one thing, making noise so that recognition does not go to waste is now our biggest duty. No-one is going to push Chimurenga for us, we have to do it ourselves. You can still enjoy other types of energy, just divert a fraction of time you spend on Amapiano or Afro Beast and direct it to Chimurenga, it will make a huge difference. 

The more we support our sound, the better it becomes, artists push more when they feel the love.

For Radio Stations:

We may be in the social media but locally radio station still plays a very important part in shaping the music industry. What genre the radio plays the most is what many artists will move to, so a serious shift if required on many radio stations in Zimbabwe. An emphasis for us to further develop our traditional sounds rather than imitating other foreign genres should be put forward. There are many who are making beautiful traditional music, give them more airplay, once the radio presenter gets amped about a certain artist, song or sound, you will see many of their fans hyped up also. Personally I have many artists, songs and genres that I never knew before then started loving them once a radio presenter I follow plays them and shares how much they love the song. Music is about shared experiences and Radio is king when it comes to those experiences so they should take a lead.

Radio is a key part of the success cycle of musicians. If the radio stations start promoting more Traditional (Chimurenga) songs, that introduces many to the various styles of the genre and that leads to more demand of those artists on local shows and festivals, which means more money for artists which then inspires more artists to join and innovate.

For the Nation:

This can be a serious marketing tool for the Nation, having a sound that is distinctly yours is improrant. Have you ever noticed that in movies when they shoot scenes in nations with recognized music genres, they use those sounds as soundtracks, Reggaeton when the scene is in Latin America, Dancehall/Reggae when the scene is in Jamaica, Kwaito/Amapiano when it’s in South Africa, now when a movie scene is set in Zimbabwe Chimurenga music will be the soundtrack. It now becomes a signature sound of Zimbabwe.

Tourism should take full advantage of this, make this music part of the image and experience. Make it so that after one visits or experiences content from Zimbabwe and they hear the Mbira or any instrument imitating it, they will immediately think about Zimbabwe

Once we successfully make Chimurenga a force to be reckoned with, it will be easier to add more local genres such as Sungura to the Global list. Our Sungura guitar players deserve serious recognition; I believe in Sungura we have had and have some of the best guitarists in the world and I hope the world at some point shall get to know this.  

So, to conclude I cannot express how big this step is. This recognition gives us a platform to make a splash on the global music scene and to do it our way. The seed has been put into the ground, its now up to us to water and care for it to grow into a something we are all proud of. Its now up to all stakeholders (artists, producers, videographers, corporates, festival planners, fans, government…) to seize this opportunity. Thomas Mapfumo himself who was very instrumental in this recognition will probably never win a Grammy, he is close to retirement from the industry but he has left a legacy that will outlive him, anyone anywhere in the world who shall be curious as to where this sound came from will know his name, his sound will forever remain the original Chimurenga.

Fittingly Chimurenga becomes the first globally recognized music genre from Zimbabwe. The name Chimurenga is fascinating; it was mostly used during the Liberation War where those who came before us fought colonial oppression and gave power back to the son of the soil. The name Chimurenga came from the name Murenga, who is regarded as the founding spirit of Zimbabwe, he led those who first called this land home, he would speak to the people thought various ways such as trees, rocks, toddlers and even grass. It is said, during the days of the first Chimurenga leading spirit mediums such as Nehanda and Kaguvi used to invoke the name of Murenga when the people were heading into battle, the fighters used to say “Murenga wamuka” which later became Chimurenga. It represents our resilience and perseverance as a people and going forward I hope the music under this genre branch grows and evolves in ways that safeguards the essence of the name.

Proud_Zimbo