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 ...

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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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

went into exile from his native Zimbabwe. And in those 14 years, Zimbabwe has changed dramatically, becoming a wretched symbol of a failed African nation. Unemployment is at least 80 percent.