The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember, photographed for Common, curated by Khanya Mashabela, 6 May – 26 July 2023. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Title
Maungira
Date
1982
Authors
Oliver and the Black Spirits
Type
Vinyl record
Oliver Mtukudzi (1952–2019, Harare) began his career as a musician in 1977 alongside Thomas Mapfumo and James Chimombe in a band called Wagon Wheels. Their first performances happened at Club Mutanga, a nightclub run by Paul Tangi Mhova Mkondo, an African nationalist and music promoter. At the time, this was the only place where Black musicians could perform.
Their first single, Dzandimomotera, was widely popular and Mtukudzi's husky singing voice became internationally recognised as the voice of Zimbabwean music. His unique mix of different folk traditions, and lyrics in Shona, Ndebele, and English was so distinctive that the genre was referred to by fans as 'Tuku Music' (derived from Mtukudzi's nickname).
