When the Music Is Said to Be Political : analysis of studies on Chimurenga music

オンガク　ガ　セイジテキダ　ト　カタラレル　トキ　チムレンガ　ミュージック　ニカンスル　センコウ　ケンキュウ　ノ　イチコウサツ

ハヤカワ, マユ

Hayakawa, Mayu

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

チムレンガ・ミュージック

ポピュラー音楽

政治的解釈

トーマス・マプフーモ

Zimbabwe

Chimurenga music

popular musi

political interpretation

Thomas Mapfumo

My aim in this paper is to examine several approaches to the phenomenon of Chimurenga music - Zimbabwean music, known as “rebel music" or “ political pop" - and to suggest my own. Chimurenga music is commonly said to have played an important role in Zimbabwe's guerrilla war and Iiberation movement. The songs fall into two types: those associated with political parties and guerrilla forces and those composed by popular artists. Here I refer to the former as NCM (nationalists' chimurenga music) and to the later as PCM (popular artists' chimurenga music). NCM was mainly used at all-night political gatherings and on the radio, in order to draw people to the struggle. Since it was performed abroad or secretly, the texts are marked by explicitness of their political contents. PCM, on the other hand, was performed by home-artists like Thomas Mapfumo, who is now a world-famous musician, known as the leader of Chimurenga music, and the texts are ambiguous and elusive. Most of the scholars argue that PCM, as well as NCM, played politically prominent role in Zimbabwean liberation struggle, although one scholar argues to the contrary. This article examines the arguments, put forward by both sides and points out, that labeling Chimurenga as political or not political does not enrich our understanding of it. What does is the analysis of the processes, with which it is being made political through constant political interpretations, made by black audience as well as its white oppressors.