Blog September 19, 2022
Lancelot Mapfumo Has Left Us
Lancelot Mapfumo, brother and long-time percussionist for Thomas Mapfumo and his band The Blacks Unlimited, has died after a long illness. He had lived in Oregon for some 20 years, since the band went into self-exile. He died there in the company of family and friends on September 17.
Lancelot was a pillar of this legendary band, playing hosho and ngoma percussion on conga drums. His deeply focused vibe, sly smile and sharp conversational rhythms coming from deep Shona tradition, were a joy to behold. He will be sorely missed by all fans of this extraordinary music.
Related Audio Programs
Hip Deep April 11, 2024
Part 1 of Afropop Worldwide's HIp Deep audio biography of Thomas Mapfumo focuses on his upbringing, musical education and the bands that lead up to the Blacks Unlimited. These are the war years, when Zimbabwe was fighting to throw off the burden of the racist Southern Rhodesian regime. This episode documents the birth of "chimurenga" music in the voices of those who made that history, many of whom have now joined the ancestors. Produced by Banning Eyre.
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