In 1988, as the memory of Bob Marley's visit was still fresh, and the sounds of reggae echoed across the country, John Chibadura was establishing a legacy that would be larger than life. While the Willowgate scandal was being orchestrated, and the ink on the Unity Accord was yet to dry, the reggae and sungura artist was earning himself the title "Mr Chitungwiza" with his album Zuva Rekufa Kwangu.
In an era of music defined by bands, John Chibadura & the Tembo Brothers were a cut above the rest. Now viewed as traditional, the group explored sounds that were very much contemporary in the 80s. The distinct riffs of the sungura guitar were born out of a transference of marimba, mbira and other traditional sounds to the electric guitar. The result was a unique sound that has inspired global names such as Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Zuva Rekufa Kwangu catapulted Chibadura to both regional and global stardom. Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia were regular destinations for shows and so were visits to Europe. This was in part due to the critically acclaimed album's sonic alchemy, a balance of both reggae and sungura that was uniquely Zimbabwean. At it's forefront isn't soulful singing or a striking of the right chords but a distinctiveness that merely adds commentary to the brilliance of the instrumentation.
Key to Chibadura's music was a sharing of anecdotes in song. "Zano Raku Mukoma" refuses brotherly advice that says polygamy is the solution to problems in a relationship, while wrapped in a sheen of reggae "Zuva Rekufa Kwangu" is a heartfelt plea to the ancestors for knowledge of the time of death, and the bouncy rhythm of "Shirah" underlies a message of loving each other right.
The expression of gratitude to parental figures, "Ndingakutendei Neiko" has humourous storytelling over a twinkling guitar, and the mbira and chimurenga music influenced "Nhamo Yatakawona" is a lamentation of the pain and suffering the country endured.
The 7 tracks that make "Zuva Rekufa Kwangu" explore somber themes and have a certain determination of delivering a message. The 31 minutes run time the project has is in equal parts John Chibadura's singing and the Tembo Brothers on the guitar and drums. Storytelling was the music's defining trait and it explored different sounds as the story required.
The 1930s to the 1960s had been a time for township sounds influenced by global music as Zimbabwe's early urban culture came into being, the 70s had been dominated by liberation sounds and the 80s presented a blank canvas for a new generation of artists to paint. The sungura movement was birthed as part of a journey to find Zimbabwe's own sound. Free from colonial rule and presented with a new world to explore, artists like John Chibadura took on the challenge and excelled.
Now over 25 years since his death, his music lives on (30,000 listeners still tune in on Spotify every month) and his legacy continues to inspire a new generation of artists.
Greedysouth rating: 8.7/10
This is the third instalment in Greedysouth's "look back" series, which will be reflecting on past artists and albums that have defined Zimbabwean music.
You can read our previous article on David Chifunyise's Tauya Naye here.
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