Choric Narratives of the Chimurenga: Comrades Chinx’s and Manyika’s Psalms of the Zimbabwean Third Chimurenga (Land Reform Programme)

This research analyses selected revolutionary songs by two former guerrillas of Zimbabwe‟s 1970s struggle for independence in the context of the Third Chimurenga of 2000 and after. These songs are looked at in connection with their multifaceted roles: to celebrate the revolutionary path of ZANU PF; to justify the Land Reform Programme (Third Chimurenga); to scoff at critics of the process of land repossession; to re-orient the youths (born-frees) towards ZANU PF ideology as manifested in the Third Chimurenga and to whip all Zimbabweans in tune with this ideology. The research acknowledges that song can be used as part of propaganda machinery, besides its aesthetic value. The research used content analysis of the selected songs, participant observation of gala and rally performances by Chinx and Manyika, respectively. Attendees of both gala and rally performances were also interviewed. The interviewees lauded the two artists for standing by the party and country in the face of negative publicity from within and outside the borders of Zimbabwe. The paper recognises that singers just like writers, do not operate in a vacuum and so are inexorably found taking a particular political stance. Though as acclaimed mouthpieces of all and sundry, it would be expected that singers take a more objective view of the socio-economic and political or historical dimensions of a country.