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is a Zimbabwean-American singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles. Her journey through the American pop music industry has been both an education and a challenge. As she learned to comply with the limitations and rules of the songwriting profession, she also bristled at them. In June 2021, Shungudzo will debut an album that she feels finally pulls together the strands of her unique life in her own way, including an embrace of social and political engagement. The album is called I’m Not A Mother, But I Have Children. Afropop ’s Banning Eyre spoke with Shungudzo over Zoom, knowing very littl...

writes musician Matt Sage Despite learning the recorder at school – like every other wretched child of the 1970s (torture for all concerned) – it wasn’t until the age of 11 that I got my first real initiation into music. One evening, at my grandma’s house, I chanced upon an original copy of the Beatles’ White Album that had previously belonged to my Dad. I took it home, wired together an old record player that was gathering dust in a cupboard, plugged in some headphones and that was it for me. I was up until dawn, utterly transfixed, awe-struck, terrified, elated. This incredi...

“Notes from Africa: A Musical Journey with Youssou N’Dour” By Jenny Cathcart Books on a golden age of Afropop stars—Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Thomas Mapfumo, Cesaria Évora and many others—come along only once in a while. The latest is Notes from Africa: A Musical Journey with Youssou N’Dour by Jenny Cathcart. Whether you’re a newcomer to the scene or a veteran Afropop fan well versed with all these artists, this is a great read, a rich tapestry of musical details, a page-turner that confirms the extraordinary wealth of musical talent coming ou...

By Robert Tapfumaneyi CELEBRATED United States- based Zimbabwean Chimurenga musician and human rights activist, Thomas Mapfumo, has appealed to the international community to immediately intervene and stop what he calls an “ever-rising crisis” in Zimbabwe. In a long emotional letter, Mapfumo, a fierce critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime, said citizens were “sold a dummy” in November 2017 when the poured out into the streets calling for the removal of the then despotic President Robert Mugabe from office. However, the musician said the military-backed coup was only for Mn...

Dreaming of Zimbabwe: Stories from the diaspora Lance Guma left Zimbabwe in 2003 after being attacked while working as a TV correspondent for foreign media [Photo courtesy of Lance Guma] From fleeing for political reasons to looking for an adventure, Zimbabweans share why they left their home country. Nearly 24 years ago, Lance Guma came face to face with a gun. A man had followed him out of the main post office in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, before attempting to provoke him into an argument. Lance was 22 years old. Lance remembers the gunman threatening to pull the trigger before shruggi...