Abstract:
The late blind Zimbabwean musician, Paul Matavire, mesmerised his audience
with a music genre whose lyrics addressed and continue to address contemporary
social issues. His music occupies a prominent place in Zimbabwe’s music
history and continues to portray the normative values of an Afro-traditional
music genre. Three of his late-1980s hits, Dhiyabhorosi Nyoka (Diabolical
snake), Taurayi zvenyu (Just speak please!) and Tanga Wandida (Love me
first), collectively glorify patriarchy while portraying women as subservient to the
masculine gender. In Dhiyabhorosi Nyoka, Matavire controversially uses biblical
inter-textual allusions, humour, and sarcasm to demonstrate that Eve’s original
sin was the genesis of the challenges besetting contemporary society (and
especially men). He deploys a gendered perspective and demeaning language
in other songs considered in this article. This article is grounded in a narrative
agency perspective in discussing how Matavire’s music portrays and glorifies
patriarchy through vocal characterisations. The selected songs’ lyrics are also
examined to determine their implications for educational management, such as
gender tolerance and respect.
