WHEN Samy Ben Redjeb of Analog Africa Records fell in love with African music in the 1990s it was music from Zimbabwe he admired the most — travelling to the country as much as he could, collecting records on sale in almost every shop and store.

His new album, Roots Rocking Zimbabwe — The Sound Of Harare Townships 1975-1980 features 25 tracks cut during the war of liberation in Zimbabwe (previously Rhodesia).

Under Rhodesia’s white-owned press, black people didn’t feature much — unless they were described as “dead terrorists.” But in 1972 The Rhodesia Herald printed a front-page photo of Manu Kambani, guitar player of the band Dr Footswitch (who could mimic Jimi Hendrix) with the caption “Jimi Hendrix is dead but Manu is alive.”

White conservatives were outraged, but the publicity helped new bands fuse Congolese rumba, South African township jive, soul, reggae and rock into a music to challenge white supremacy.

The Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation was dominated by Western music — Beatles, Stones, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. 

“You would be forgiven for thinking that they didn’t have any African music in their collection,” said Fred Zindi, author of the book Roots Rocking in Zimbabwe (F Zindi and M Chirumiko, 1997).

The commotion drew interest from South Africa’s record industry, and Rhodesian bands like The Great Sounds, MD Rhythm Success, Afrique ’73, The Hitch-Hikers, The Impossibles and The OK Success got recording deals with Gallo Records. 

Crispen Matema, a prolific drummer with a love for traditional music was hired by Teal Records to find new talent. He discovered The Baked Beans, Blacks Unlimited, New Tutenkhamen, The Acid Band, Echoes Ltd, and Gypsy Caravan, all featured here.

As the liberation war raged Teal Records recorded singer and guitarist Thomas Mapfumo who joined forces with Black Unlimited and The Acid Band and modernised traditional songs into revolutionary anthems.

This music was rooted in Shona culture and known as Chimurenga (meaning “struggle” in the Shona language), unifying the liberation movement with songs written to encourage support for the freedom fighters. Give a listen to Taj Mahal by Double Shuffle and Towering Inferno by The Green Arrows.

The Police Anti-Terrorist Unit imprisoned Mapfumo and Zexie Manatsa of The Green Arrows, strengthening the resolve of Zimbabwean artists like Tineyi Chikupo, whose songs carried the hopes of the people.

Following independence in 1980, the musicians who had risked everything emerged as national heroes. Mapfumo later fell out with Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe over corruption and moved to the US.

Samy Ben Redjeb told the Morning Star: “The authorities and record companies didn’t understand the political messages — the lyrics had double meanings, which evaded white Rhodesians and the censorship board, which leaked like a colander.

“You can only imagine the energy and excitement of music that was recorded in the midst of a liberation war. I felt that energy while listening to the records knowing that they had a much bigger purpose then just to entertain.

“In his book Songs That Won The Liberation War (The College press, 1982) JC Pongweni says that this music rallied the population behind the liberation war.”

Available on vinyl, CD, download and streaming, the tracks here showcase the explosion of Zimbabwe music in the 1970s and ’80s, and how music helped win the war of liberation. It includes unreleased tracks and a wonderfully illustrated 44-page booklet. Unmissable.

Roots Rocking Zimbabwe — The Sound Of Harare Townships 1975-1980 is released by Analogue Africa, May 2 2025.