As Bob Marley is to Jamaicans or Fela Kuti is to Nigerians, Thomas Mapfumo is to Zimbabweans. The bandleader is a superstar in his home country, both for his masterful blending of traditional sounds ...

Cold as it was last night, walking into Duke Coffeehouse’s transcendental dance vibe was wholly warming. The room filled up to a comfortable crowd, and as Mapfumo, “The Lion of Zimbabwe,” led his band ...

The Lion of Zimbabwe didn't need to roar to be heard. Nor did Thomas Mapfumo even have to sing in English to be understood. Lionized for his musical bravery in the late '70s during his country's ...

Never miss a beat. Get our free daily newsletter. District Line Daily covers local politics, culture, and the Needle—our daily quality of life index for D.C. under the Trump administration. Why did ...

Thomas Mapfumo is one of Zimbabwe’s most well -known musicians. He’s recognized not only for his music but his political activism. Through his music he’s advocated for equal rights and been an ...

Zimbabwean songwriter Thomas Mapfumo will speak at Northwestern on Friday about his use of song as a form of resistance. Mapfumo, who wrote music as a way to protest the white-nationalist government ...

More than any other artist except perhaps Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, Thomas Mapfumo has become Zimbabwe's musical ambassador to the world. That's ironic, because while the people of his country celebrate ...

Mukanya's heart will always reside in Zimbabwe, but calling out politicians in his music has made it difficult for him to live there. He is also ready to pass on the mantle. "Home is home. And that's ...

In Harare, Zimbabwe, on Saturday, April 28, it happened. "I thought maybe I wasn't going to be able to come back here while I was still alive," mused Mapfumo the day before the big show. "But by the ...