Everybody has heroes who meant a lot in their formative years and whose words resonate deep into adulthood. Mine is Mr. Mbaraka Mwinshehe Mwaruka.

Ensnared by song, he quit school in Form 3 and devoted his life to the guitar and music. Like a rocket burning the hottest fuel, he produced a body of unforgettable music that chronicled his time before a tragic automobile accident ended his life.

Fearless and adventurous, Mbaraka left hi home town of Morogoro and moved to Kenya, where the recording studios were better and the business climate freer than what centrally-controlled Tanzania was experiencing at that time. In Kenya, he procured his own equipment (an amazing feat!) and set out to build up a formidable dance and recording band that was in very high demand in the thriving club scene.

Mbaraka was a poet of unmatched calibre, able to capture and convey a wide range of human emotions, to educate and often inject a dose of wry humour into his message. While he looked up to his elder contemporaries in then Congo-Kinshasa/Zaire, great men like Kabasele, Dr. Nico, Dewayon, Johnny Bokelo, Franklin Boukaka, etc., he developed a unique style as lead guitarist and bandleader that still entertains today. His lyrical prowess led him to tell stories about love, marriage, patriotism, travel and other topics, in a voice that captivated the listener and made him feel as if he had been part of the experience.

As a youth, with sources of music pretty much limited to radio broadcasts, I was held rapt every time a Mbaraka Mwinshehe number or Super Volcano dance cracker came on. The solos and playful guitar technique were great highlights. I can still whistle some of them verbatim!

This song, 'Mapenzi Yanitesa', is a typical lament of a guy madly in love, asking his girl why she's suddenly turned cold. It' an eternal theme. Listen.

Note: at 3:02, the lady with the bass is Muhtaji Mwinshehe, Mbaraka's daughter, who has led the Super Volcano band that continued after her father's death. Her own daughter has reworked some of his composition in modern style.

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