Pre-Independence, his songs openly called for the violent overthrow of the government, with lyrics like "Mothers, send your sons to war." Since the white government didn't understand Shona, however, at first they didn't realize how radical the songs were.
Eventually they caught on, though. The climax came with a song called "Hokoyo!", which means "Watch out!" The government banned the record from the state-controlled radio and threw him into a prison camp without charges in 1979. Despite this, they couldn't stop his records from being played in discos or on radio stations they didn't control, like the Voice of Mozambique. Large demonstrations in protest of his arrest and an inability to trump up charges against him forced the government to release him after three months.
After Independence, in 1980, Mapfumo's popularity continued to grow. The hero kept on singing about the injustices of Mugabe's government and, history repeating itself, his music was banned from state radio in the early years of the 2000s. Mapfumo, who received the honors of a doctorate for his contribution to Zimbabwean music, now became a nuisance to Mugabe's government.
As circumstances do not permit him to continue the life of a free musician in Zimbabwe, Thomas Mapfumo left Zimbabwe and is now living in the USA.
Chemutengure
Thomas Mapfumo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Chava chamutengure vhiri rengoro
Chava chamutengure vhiri rengoro
Chava chamutengure vhiri rengoro
Wanditi mutyairi wandionei
Wanditi mutyairi wandionei
Ndaonawo girizi rawakazora iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
Wanditi mukokeri wandionei
Wanditi mukokeri wandionei
Wanditi mukokeri wandionei
Ndaona mabhukwa azere dova iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
Ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Mukadzi wemutyairi hashayi dovi
Mukadzi wemuchairi hashayi dovi
Mukadzi wemuchairi hashayi dovi
Mukadzi wemuchairi hashayi dovi
Anotora girizi okurungira iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
Ndiyeye mutyairi wanzai dovi
Ndiyeye mutyairi wanzai dovi
Ndiyeye mutyairi wanzai dovi
Ndiyeye mutyairi wanzai dovi
Ogoti wokambura rimwe wozora iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
(Chamutengure) ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
Mai vemwana zvaite mwana
Mai vemwana zvaite mwana
Mai vemwana zvaite mwana
Huya uone zvaite mwana
Mai vemwana zvaite mwana iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
(Woye woye)
The song Chemutengure by Thomas Mapfumo speaks about a person who has become like a chamutengure, a bird that has lost its rhythm or sense of direction. The bird is said to be flying without any clear direction and is lost. The lyrics mention women who are married to different men, but they are not happy in their marriages. They are said to be like a bird that does not even have the energy to fly and has become almost lifeless.
The song is not just about the literal meaning of the lyrics, but it also speaks to the broader themes of society's problems. The song is a critique of the social, political, and economic challenges that Zimbabwe faced during the time when the song was released. The song talks about how people are lost, like the chamutengure bird, due to poor leadership, poverty, and broken families.
Line by Line Meaning
Ho hoyere ho hoha hoha
The chorus repeats the name of the song, Chamutengure, which is a Shona word that does not have a direct translation in English.
Chava chamutengure vhiri rengoro
Chava refers to the person being talked about and chamutengure refers to someone who is cunning or crafty. Vhiri rengoro means 'in the village'. So this line translates to 'This cunning person in the village'.
Wanditi mutyairi wandionei
'Wanditi' means 'he/she/they told me', 'mutyairi' means 'one who cuts grass' and 'wandionei' means 'what do you see?'. So this line can be translated to 'He told me to look at the grass cutter'.
Ndaonawo girizi rawakazora iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
'Ndaonawo' means 'I saw', 'girizi' means 'pot' and 'rawakazora' means 'patched up'. So this line means 'I saw the patched-up pot'. The repetition of 'iwe' and 'hohawo' adds emphasis to the line.
Wanditi mukokeri wandionei
'Mukokeri' means 'one who sells dried fish'. So this line translates to 'He told me to look at the dried fish seller'.
Ndaona mabhukwa azere dova iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
'Mabhukwa' means 'cucumber' and 'azere dova' means 'in the dish'. This line can be translated to 'I saw the cucumber in the dish'.
Mukadzi wemutyairi hashayi dovi
'Mukadzi' means 'wife', 'wemutyairi' means 'wife of the grass cutter', and 'hashayi dovi' means 'does not smash pumpkin leaves'. This line can be translated to 'The wife of the grass cutter does not crush pumpkin leaves'.
Ndiyeye mutyairi wanzai dovi
'Ndiyeye' means 'I am going' and 'wanzai dovi' means 'to pick pumpkin leaves'. So this line means 'I am going to pick pumpkin leaves like a grass cutter'.
Ogoti wokambura rimwe wozora iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe, iwe hohawo
'Ogoti' means 'if', 'wokambura' means 'you get hurt', and 'rimwe wozora' means 'another will heal'. So this line can be translated to 'If you get hurt, someone else will heal you'.
Mai vemwana zvaite mwana
'Mai' means 'mother', 'vemwana' means 'of a child' and 'zvaite mwana' means 'think like a child'. This line can be translated to 'Mother of a child, think like a child'.
Huya uone zvaite mwana
'Huya' means 'come' and 'uone' means 'see'. 'Zvaite mwana' again means 'think like a child'. So this line can be translated to 'Come and see, think like a child'.
(Woye woye)
This is a traditional Shona expression used to express excitement or agreement.
Writer(s): Thomas Mapfumo, Traditional
Contributed by Wyatt F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ed
Too long
mella nyaningwe
Nice music