Oliver Mtukudzi was born on 22 September, 1952 in Highfield, Zimbabwe to a musical family, as both his parents were singers.
In 1975, at the age of 23, Oliver released his first album Stop after Orange and two years later, he collaborated with one of Zimbabwe’s top musicians, Thomas Mapfumo, in the famous group called Wagon Wheels.
Oliver celebrated Zimbabwe’s independence by singing the country’s new national anthem Ishe komborera Africa (God bless Africa) with a touch of reggae.
In 2001, he released a song called Bvuma, a Shona word meaning ‘Accept that you are old’. The song was dedicated to the then Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, urging him to retire.
Oliver released more than sixty albums. One of them, released in 2013, was titled Sarawoga in memory of his beloved son who died in a car accident in 2010.
The album was released as therapy, to mourn the passing of his son. The fondly named father of Zimbabwe did not only lose his son, but also his brother and several band members to HIV/Aids.
He then started campaigning to stop the HIV/Aids stigma in Tanzania, where he was very outspoken about the disease.
He also criticised polygamy as a practice that increases the risk of spreading HIV/Aids.
One of Oliver’s hit songs, entitled Neria, tells the story of a woman who was left destitute after the death of her husband, as customary law prevented her from inheriting his property.
On 23 January 2019, Oliver Mtukudzi died of an undisclosed illness, leaving behind his family, children and other loved ones.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
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