The Sunday News
Kudzai Mpangi, Sunday Life Reporter
IN an exciting turn of events, a Norwegian man has come to be known as “Murungu weSungura” following his unusual adoption and fandom of a music genre known to appeal primarily to Zimbabwean people and proving the barrier breaking power of music.
Popularised by artistes like Leonard Dembo, Simon Chimbetu, James Chimombe and John Chibadura, Sungura music which is characterised by fast sharp guitar notes to thumping drum beats and switching feet in light speed dance moves has been known to break cultural barriers on a local level.
This is however, the first time the music has made such noticeable waves among an entirely different race who not only speak a different language but have an entirely different culture and lifestyle from Zimbabwe.
The Norwegian man behind this wave Eirik Hoff Walmsness, a sungura fanatic has grown to reverberate to this genre having been exposed to different music genres in Africa.
“My passion for sungura music has grown over several years, as a result of having studied African music at University, and living in Southern Africa for several years. This way I was exposed to a lot of music in the region, and sungura is the one that really resonated with me. There is something about the sound of sungura that makes it my favourite dish and what inspired me to choose such a rare genre is simple because it sounded so cool and refreshing to me. It has a groove that is irresistible,” he added.
Walmsness told Sunday Life that people back home have grown fond of sungura music which has resulted to him being popular among his people.
“ I have established a band in Norway, so for Sahara, and we play music inspired by sungura as well as Tuku style music, mixed with lyrics in our own language, Norwegian. People back at home love the sound of Southern African guitar music very much, so we’ve been growing in popularity and festivals keep booking us. Still, I think we have so much to learn from the bands in Zimbabwe, so musically we still at a very early stage. Anyways, it is a lot of fun to promote Zimbabwean music back home,” he added.
Murungu wesungura said he has grown to love Zimbabwe literally becoming his second home and has maintained a good relationship with the sungura king Aleck Macheso.
“I have been fortunate to be invited on stage with Aleck Macheso a couple of times. During my last visit to Harare I spent some time in his studio as well. I really enjoyed his company and I would say we are good buddies now. He has certainly inspired me a lot. I was blown away by his bass guitar style when I first heard him, and he still continues to impress and amaze me. He seems to never rest, but he keeps pushing the band and works very hard to be on top of the game. I respect him a lot” he added.
Walmsness said the love that he has been receiving from Zimbabweans has given him more reason to love the genre.
Walmsness has shared the stage with Aleck Macheso, Madzibaba Nicholas Zakaria and Sulumani Chimbetu. @kayskudzai
