The Cultural and Artistic Legacy of Oliver Mtukudzi: Using Language for Social Justice

ISBN-13: 9783030971991 / Angielski / Twarda / 2022 / 260 str.

Spis treści

Chapter 1: Culture, Language, Human Rights and Politics in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Music

Part I: “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”: Mtukudzi and African Cultural Pride

Chapter 2: “Dada Nerudzi Rwako”: Championing African Identities in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Music

Chapter 3: Tuku Music as a Site of Cultural Embodiment

Chapter 4: Exploring the Nhaka Concept in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Music

Part II: “Language as Identity”: Mtukudzi and the Language Question in Africa

Chapter 5: A Stylistic Analysis of ‘Neria,’ a Song by Oliver Mtukudzi

Chapter 6: A Semantic Analysis of Metaphors Found in Selected Lyrics of Oliver Mtukudzi’s Songs

Chapter 7: An Exploration of Metaphoric Images in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Songs on HIV/AIDS

Chapter 8: A Stylistic Study of Figurative Language in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Selected Songs

Chapter 9: The ‘I’ in Oliver Mtukudzi’s Music: Autobiographical Memory and the Fragmented Self in Selected Songs

Chapter 10: “Pakare Paye”: Music as Media for Communicating Values in the Family Governance System—The Case of Oliver Mtukudzi’s Songs

Part III: Mtukudzi as a Human Rights Defender and “Theologian”

Chapter 11: Championing Marital Harmony Through Music: An Examination of Four Selected Songs by Oliver Mtukudzi

Chapter 12: Music and Human Rights in Zimbabwe: An Analysis of Oliver Mtukudzi’s Messages

Chapter 13: Oliver Mtukudzi’s Theology: A Literary Analysis of Selected Gospel Songs

Part IV: “Walking the Tightrope”: Playing Politics with Politics in a Challenging Environment

Chapter 14: The Corpse as Political Capital: Oliver Mtukudzi’s Funeral and Political Contestation in Post-colonial Zimbabwe

Chapter 15: Music and Politics in Mashava: An Analysis of Selected Songs by the Late Oliver Mtukudzi

Chapter 16: Stance Accounts of Political and Religious Identities in ‘Tuku’ Music

O autorze

Munyaradzi Nyakudya is Senior Lecturer in the History Heritage and Knowledge Systems Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Bridget Chinouriri is Senior Lecturer in the Creative Media and Communication Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Pauline Mateveke is Senior Lecturer in the Languages Literature and Culture Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Ezra Chitando is Professor of Religious Studies in the Philosophy Religion and Ethics Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Blurb

This book delves into a critical and comprehensive analysis of Mtukudzi’s legacy, as an outstanding musician who anchored his music on cultural identity specifically through the artistic manipulation of language. As a cultural worker, his remit extended beyond performance. This raised his stature to the levels of such African music icons as Fela Kuti of Nigeria, Salif Keita of Mali and Miriam Makeba/Hugh Masekela of South Africa, all towering giants in African musical performance. This volume examines how Mtukudzi artistically manipulated language to convey a timeless message of cultural identity, fighting for the respect of rights for women, children and all. It unpacks how Mtukudzi subtly uses language to put across political views that speak truth to power, harnessing Zimbabwean language to articulate and promote the nation’s cultural heritage and to advocate for societal development and the promotion of rights of vulnerable groups.

The chapters in this volume are a mix of interdisciplinary Zimbabwean scholars of linguistics, performance studies, religion, history, communication and media studies, unravelling Mtukudzi as a fighter for human rights and justice who subtly critiqued political systems and practices. It concludes that Mtukudzi strove to be a cultural worker who used the power of language through music to contribute towards the rehabilitation of a battered African identity.

Munyaradzi Nyakudya is Senior Lecturer in the History Heritage and Knowledge Systems Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Bridget Chinouriri is Senior Lecturer in the Creative Media and Communication Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Pauline Mateveke is Senior Lecturer in the Languages Literature and Culture Department of the University of Zimbabwe.

Ezra Chitando is Professor of Religious Studies in the Philosophy Religion and Ethics Department of the University of Zimbabwe.