Chazezesa Challengers are a Zimbabwean Sungura music band formed in 1993 under the direction of the late
System Tazvida
Funuel Nyasha Tazvida, best known as System Tazvida, was a Zimbabwean musician born on 2 May 1968 in Zaka Masvingo (Fort Victoria ) during the Rhodesia era the modern day Zimbabwe. Very popular in his home country mainly in the 1990s, though n ...
in
Chitungwiza
Chitungwiza is an urban centre and town of Harare Province in Zimbabwe.
History
As of the 2022 census, Chitungwiza had a population of 371,244.
There are two main highways which connect the city to Harare namely Seke road and Chitungwiz ...
. System, a
Khiama Boys alumnus, grew sick of not receiving his fair share of royalties and decided to form his own band. Both his stints in Khiama Boys and the
Sungura Boys had ended without any financial compensation. He recruited some experienced musicians, including his bassist brother Peter. The band of five are veterans of the Zimbabwe music scene. His brother Peter is a
Nyami Nyami Sounds alumnus. Guitarist
LeeRoy Lunga had played with both the
Super Sounds and the
Kasongo Band, while percussionist
Lucky Mumiriki had experience with the
Hurungwe Sounds and the Sungura Boys. The group is also known as Boyz DzeSmoko.
Music style
The group successfully mixed elements of sungura, jazz, South African
mbaqanga
Mbaqanga () is a style of South African music with rural Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style originated in the early 1960s.
History
Historically, laws such as the Land Act of 1913 to the Group Areas Ac ...
and traditional sounds, creating an appealing and popular blend. The Chazezesa Challengers produced a string of hit albums in the mid-to-late 1990s; their debut,
Rudo Tsika Nemagariro, sold more than 20,000 copies, while
Mutunhu Unemago topped 30,000. Some of their top songs include
Anodyiwa Haature, Kaserura Ndizvo, Smoko, Ndiridze Mhere, Ukarambwa Usacheme, and Vaforomani. System Tazvida is known for stressing that he liked better playing for rural crowds who he said liked and appreciated his music by singing along and dancing to it spiritedly when he did live shows. The Challengers were known for their humorous love lyrics and satirical subjects.
The band also toured in Mozambique, where they were popular.
Descent
The band experienced two deaths in quick succession, as drummer Wezhira Shoko and talismanic leader System Tazvida both died near the turn of the millennium. Peter Tazvida, System's brother who assumed leadership of the group after his brothers death also succumbed to illness in mid-2002. This, did not stop the group. Under the leadership of Lee Roy Lunga, the boys released their twelfth album, Smoko Pachena/Chabvondoka, in December 2002. The group however has seen waning popularity of Smoko and a decrease in sales of their music
Other projects
The Chazezesa Challengers operate a variety of community projects in Zimbabwe. In addition to operating their own soccer team for the unemployed, the group owns runs a children's club, their own studios, and mechanic business.
See also
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Music of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of hope for Zimbabweans ...
*
Shona music
Shona music is the music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. There are several different types of traditional Shona music including mbira, singing, hosho and drumming. Very often, this music will be accompanied by dancing, and participation by the ...
External links
Zimbabwe Music GuideA website about the Music of Zimbabwe
DandemutandeShona Music site and mailing list
Zimbabwe Music LyricsA site with lyrics by Zimbabwean musicians.
Zimbabwean music