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Oliver Mtukudzi: An Album for each year of his life

At 62 legendary muso, Oliver Mtukudzi is set to release his 62nd album titled ‘Mukombe we Mvura’ at the Harare International Conference Centre in Zimbabwe on Saturday.

His latest birth compromises of a 10 track album, mostly inspired by life lessons he learned through the years.

‘Mukombe we Mvura’ means A calabash of water, his 9th track on his latest release 'Munhikwi' inspired the title of his album.

The lyrics of this song say "Aita munhikwi, mupe mukombe wemvura (He/she is hiccupping, give him/her a calabash of water)."

"What I'm saying here is that a lot of problems seem really difficult, but if you take time to think about them and consult, you will realise they are just hiccups," said Mtukudzi.

His last album Sarawoga meaning to be left alone, inspired by the death of his son in 2010 was released two years ago in celebration of his 60th birthday.

Mtukudzi’s musical work is often compiled on walks of life that he encounters personally.

He is able to produce sounds that people relate too, something that distinguishes his classic tunes from the rest.

Mtukudzi recently delivered the inaugural Hugh Masekela Lecture to a standing ovation at the Soweto Campus of the University of Johannesburg.

Excerpt from his key note speech:

“You measure someone not by how much they have done, or how many awards they have received, or how many degrees they have. Instead, you measure people by what they overcame to achieve those things, because that tells you the story of their strength of character. Or to put it differently, whether they are of sterner stuff or not.

At a time when we see so much moral bankruptcy, where our continent cries out for answers and solutions, we need more than ever before men and women of character.

As we fight to hold on to our heritage and to our continental dreams and the key ingredients that unites and identify us as Africans, we need men and women of character.

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