John Mokwetsi
9 March 2008
FAMOUS Greek poet Yannis Ristos once said a poet is the first citizen, and for that reason, it was the duty of the poet to be concerned about the politics of his country.
Ristos was answering an official of the Greek military Junta who had asked him why a poet should be dabbling in politics.
At the time, 1970 to be exact, he was under house arrest.
Ristos may not have thought about Zimbabwe then, but as the country enters an uncertain crucial month of the harmonised elections, a rebellious voice in the form of protest poetry and music has been born.
Poet and musician Sam Farai Monro and his group of talented singers and poets, Chabvondoka released their much-anticipated 12 track album, House of Hunger, a combination of music and revolutionary lyrics.
Comrade Fatso as Monro is affectionately called said: "It is a poet's job to dig deep and to show people what they have found. I wanted in this album to make the people look at issues affecting them deeply and thoughtfully."
In this album, Fatso performs his rhythmic poetry acapella, accompanied by bass guitar and his group Chabvondoka weighs in with vocals in some tracks.
The album embodies the many voices of those struggling for injustice in Zimbabwe. Comrade Fatso's poems reveal the struggles of vendors during Murambatsvina, the fights of workers for a living wage, the anger of the displaced, police brutality and the marginalised youth who walk the streets of Harare.
Fatso said: "My poems are a peoples' history under Zanu PF. I seek to remind them of what they have gone through. I want to remind people of the brutality they went through and the trouble that eat at our hearts every day."
The album carries such tracks as Bread and Roses, Mahara, The Word, No Baas, Kudanana, Wonderful Africa. Worms for Sale, House of Hunger, Identity, and Like a Riot- Need a Petrol Bomb .
Fatso said: "What we set out to do was to create the new music struggle. A music that has poetry as its backbone. What Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi were doing in the 70's is what we need to be doing now: fusing indigenous with Western, to create a revolutionary music to inspire people."
Accompanied by his group, Comrade Fatso has uplifted crowds from Harare to Johannesburg, with their performance at the Harare International Festival of the Arts 2007 being labelled "the best performance of the festival".
He has also performed in France, the UK, Kenya, Botswana, Malawi and South Africa. Comrade Fatso shared the stage with leading performers such as Pops Mohammed, Mzwakhe Mbuli, Zubz and Metaphysics while collaborating with artists such as Chiwoniso, Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa.
His poetry has appeared on big media the BBC, CNN, ZBC, SABC and KPFA FM in California.
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