Pick of the Week - Corruption Songs (Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe)
Songs on the theme of corruption from Thomas Mapfumo, Eddy Kenzo, and Femi Kuti.
According to Ben Franklin, "...in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." You could probably add corruption to the list of things common to human affairs. Seun Kuti - one of Fela Kuti's musician sons - once said in an interview some years back "every African country is governed by a dictator mentality." So perhaps it's no surprise that a number of African musicians have tackled this topic. Here are a few.
Including Thomas Mapfumo, whose 1989 album was titled Corruption and included a song called..."Corruption." Zimbabwe's leaders at the time were not amused or impressed by a song that targeted them. Mapfumo eventually decided it would be wise to leave the country. He moved to the Pacific Northwest, where he still resides.
Another member of the musical Kuti family - Femi Kuti - has followed in his father's footsteps when it comes to being outspoken about social ills. Among the results, "You Can't Fight Corruption With Corruption," a song released by Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, in 2021. The song appeared on the Legacy+ album, which also featured a third generation Kuti, Femi's son, Made.
A while back I wrote about Ugandan musician Eddy Kenzo's song, "Mbakooye." That's a Luganda word that means "am fed up of them." Unlike many of Kenzo's songs, which tend to be upbeat and easygoing, this one "is a song elaborating on the situation prevailing in the Uganda, the injustices, corruption hate."