Thomas ‘Mukanya’ Mapfumo, family and grand children Chiedza Mapfumo told H-Metro that the family’s decision to come out in the open, with the directive to bar Makore, was the culmination of a lengthy period in which they had tried to settle the dispute within the family. Chiedza also revealed that she last spoke to Makore “years ago.” And, given that they are relatives, it probably casts a spotlight on the fractured nature of this family. “I never spoke to Kurai about his music.
I last spoke to him years ago,” she told H-Metro. “He has been in direct communication with Mr Mapfumo, who has told him on numerous occasions to compose his own music and make his own path. “Kurai’s relationship to Mr Mapfumo is irrelevant to me.
“What matters is Mr Mapfumo’s intellectual property and how it is affected when people perform his music without obtaining licensing. “We are in a digital era and musicians like Mr Mapfumo make their money from royalties mostly collected from the digital space. “We are also concerned with preserving his catalogue so as to avoid confusion on what songs are actually his.” Following the cease and desist letter issued by the Chimurenga Music Company, barring Makore from performing his uncle’s songs, H-Metro has been given an extraordinary and intimate insight into the Chimurenga music empire – and there are lots of skeletons in the closet, apparently.
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Chimurenga Music company manager, Cuthbert Chiromo, is said to have played a big role in the latest developments. The letter also criticised the media for labelling Makore as the Chimurenga music heir and suggesting that Mukanya endorsed such a coronation. H-Metro has been told that Chiedza and her mother are playing leading roles in the spectacular fallout between Mukanya and his nephew.
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