Music As A Tool For Good Trouble

Africa and music can never be separated. Music is embedded in African culture. Where ever people are celebrating, you will hear singing accompanied with the sound of the African drum. Funerals come with their own songs. We even have songs that mock bad behavior in spouses, children, or even chiefs and headmen. Music has been used to express feelings, and to carry a message of hope, resistance, and more.

Because the spirit of passive resistance has always been among Africans, music has also been used to cause, as the late US Congressman John Lewis put it, “good trouble“. This “necessary trouble” has been to challenge and protest injustice and anything that does not align with the African belief of being good, respectful and fair to others, regardless of their status. Miriam Makeba caused good trouble with music protesting the apartheid regime in South Africa. Fela Kuti in Nigeria also spoke against military juntas in that country. Thomas Mapfumo from Zimbabwe is also another musician whose music was good trouble.

We have had our own share of Musicians causing good trouble in Zambia. The late Peter Kalumba Chishala aka P.K Chishala used the local Kalindula genre to speak against immorality and hypocricy among the clergy in songs like “Ba Pastor” and “Church Elder”. But causing good trouble with music comes with it’s own consequences for the musician. Ba Pastor was not well received by some sections of society with others calling for it to be banned for it’s “blasphemous” nature. P.K Chishala also rubbed the then Kaunda government the wrong way with his “Common Man” song which raised concern over the economic situation at that time. On the international scene, Fela Kuti was beaten and arrested on over 200 occasions by cruel Nigerian governments while Miriam Makeba and Thomas Mapfumo were exiled for their views and protest language in their music.

In recent history, Nathan Nyirenda made headlines with his “Mwe Makufi“ song which many believe to be a gospel song, but got used a lot by a major opposition political party to torment the government in 2005. The church has been a strong voice in matters of political and economic justice, so why not a gospel singer like Nathan, right? Well, the song was well received by the public as a justified cry but was (and still is) never played on the government controlled state media. Other songs from the album enjoyed air play but never Mwe Makufi.

While sang in Zambia, Mwe Makufi is a shoe that fits many African countries. The message it carries still remains true today and is able to disturb any emotional government leader on the continent. The song is a poetic lamentation over the persistent poverty in our country despite being rich in natural resources. It starts with Enoch Sontoga’s composition of “Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika” – a tune adopted by Zambia and some eastern and southern African countries for their national anthems.

In the first verse, Nathan introduces the problem and outlines exactly what he is complaining about. The chorus brings hope as he beautifully uses scriptural language to wake up and do something while asking his knees not to be weary (of praying I guess?). The last part of the chorus is just him invoking the name of God. Verse two lists the natural resources and available human resource we are blessed with, but ends with a bitter cry that our wealth still remains on paper. If you are one who encourages people to be prayerful, the final verse comes to affirm the fact that we do pray. You want us to be educated? We are now learned in our schools. You want us to work hard and never be lazy? Verse three tells you of how we break our backs like slaves and donkeys. Despite all this, the verse brings up the painful fact that all we are left with is well spoken english in our mouths.

Nathan Nyirenda on album cover

Let your music soothe, excite, educate, mock and sensitize. When need arises, use it to cause “good trouble, necessary trouble” for it is a powerful and effective tool that motivates change. I leave you with lyrics to Mwe Makufi.

Mwe Lesa wandi ngafweniko [God help me]
Ubucushi insala necipowe [Poverty, hunger and starvation]
Fyaisula icalo cesu konse ‘ko ungaya [Have filled our land where ever you can go]
Amalanda nokuilishanya [sorrow and murmerings]
Ubupina no kubulilwa [poverty and extreme lack]
Filepongoboka ngefula pakulaya [are pouring in like the last rains]
Amatontonkanyo yalilembwa [worry/thoughts are engraved]
Pafinso fyaba kalamba [On the faces of adults]
Imisepela, abaice, nefitekwa [Youths, children and domestic animals]

Chorus:
Mwemakufi yandi, mwinenuka, [O my knees, do not grow weary]
We mutima wandi nobe salapuka [My heart, wake thou up]
Fi mwandanshi ne mipashi yakowela [Principalities and evil spirits]
Teti ficimfye Lеsa uwa mweo [Cannot defeat the Living God]

Testing ficimfye Lesa uwa million [Cannot defeat the Lord of hosts]

Imimana amasabi fyaba mbwee [Rivers and fishes are plenty]
Umufundo ponse wanyanta [Fertile soil wherever your foot steps]
Imiti, inama, nempanga umutatakuya [Forests, wildlife and good vegetation endlessly]
Amabwe nayo mintapendwa [We have countless precious stones]
Nababomfi nibumba [And enough Workforce]
Lelo ubunonshi bwabafye pamapepala [Yet our wealth still remains on paper]
Infula kwena ilaloka [Raining it does rain]
Umutende twimbapofye pefye [Extreme peace is our daily song]
Lelo tushalapo fye necisungu mukanwa [Yet we’re only left with well spoken English]

Ukupepa kwena tulapepa [Praying we do pray]
No kufunga nipamushi [With frequent fasting]
Amasambililo nayo ni lekaleka [We are extremely educated]
Ukubomba nako tulabomba [Working, we do work hard]
Nga basha nabakabalwe ulucelo akasuba elyo no bushiku [Like Slaves and donkeys, day and night]
Bushe ninkanda yafita? [Could it be our dark skin?]
Nangula amano ayacepa? [or the lack of brains?]
Nacucutika mwe tata njebeniko [I’m at my wits end Lord, tell me]

#WinterABC24

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