Exploring gerontology in Tuku’s selected songs: the case of ‘Wasakara’ (2000) and ‘Ndakuvara’ (2002)

Abstract

This paper critically discusses two (2) songs of Oliver Mtukudzi (Tuku) to decipher his perceptions and imaginings of the process and experience of aging in Zimbabwe. These songs are Wasakara (2000) and Ndakuvara (2002). Mtukudzi’s music popularly known as Tuku music is hailed for entertaining and admonishing the public through powerful moral messages of personhood and self-discipline. It is important to appreciate his teachings regarding aging, especially seeing how population aging is fast becoming a reality in southern Africa and Zimbabwe. While the entertainment and pedagogical value of Tuku music has been widely acknowledged, the gerontological meaning deriving from it may not always be apparent. Gerontologists appreciate how music, as a cultural medium, communicates messages of aging to society, especially messages from famous musicians such as Oliver Mtukudzi. Among the important themes pursued by Mtukudzi are the intergenerational reciprocity of care and the physiological, psychological and social markers of aging.