Susan Mapfumo

Susan Mapfumo (no relation to Thomas) emerged as one of Zimbabwe's most vocal and recognizable female musicians. A prominent singer and bandleader in the 1970s and 80s, she presented a stylistically varied mix of jit and rhumba.

Susan got her start, ironically, in Thomas Mapfumo's Acid Band as a back-up singer in 1972. From there, she moved on to front a number of different bands, including OK Success, the Real Sounds, the Pied Pipers, the Fantasy, and the Black Salutaries.

Mapfumo specialized in being a vocal propenent of women's rights. Gender, war, and social issues were the subjects of many of her songs. In the company of Stella Chiweshe, Dorothy Masuka, Busi Ncube, and Chiwoniso, Susan is one of the few prominent female musicians to successfully rise to the top in Zimbabwe.

If you know more about Susan Mapfumo, please email me.

Source: Roots Rocking in Zimbabwe by Fred Zindi and Nationalists, Cosmopolitains, and Popular Music in Zimbabwe by Thomas Turino.