Musician Comrade Fatso comments on music censorship in Zimbabwe.
This interview with Comrade Fatso was recorded by Freemuse Web Editor Mik Aidt in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 27 October 2011.
Comrade Fatso is one of the most explosive and controversial acts in Southern Africa today. His band is called Chabvondoka, and their music is called Toyi Toyi, radical street poetry that mixes Shona with English and electrifying guitars with mbira and pulsating hip-hop.
In the video clip above he speaks of the Zimbabwean music scene and censorship. In the video clip below, he speaks about how he experiences that cultural activism, such as performing music and organising concerts, can create social change in the society as well as at an individual level.
Interview Part II: About the power of cultural activism
“There will be no restrictions on creative freedom,” said Tunisia’s culture minister after he had been under fire for saying he would exclude sexy pop stars from a festival
On 25 January 2012, security agents handcuffed and arrested the young rapper Volcanis in his home, allegedly “in a matter of law” and not for the content of his rap songs
“After the two concerts in Algiers and Bejaia, the Algerian authorities have expelled me and banned me from reentering Algerian territory,” wrote the singer Bendir Man
Hip-hop plays a central role in the revolts in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Libya. Rap songs create an important platform for communication creating moral support
Hamada Ben-Amor, the artist who gave voice to the anger that spilled into protests that toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, is now courted by music houses
Freedom of expression in the Middle East suffered a major setback on 12 February 2008 when 21 information ministers of the Arab League agreed on a new satellite tv charter
Danish musician Chris Poole & Kasper Søeborg Duo and the orchestra Oriental Mood cancelled their tour to Tunisia due to fear that they will be attacked
Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
