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Music
The prince of Tshivenda traditional music, Christopher Mathogo, is one musician who does not just fold his arms, sit down and lament the spread of piracy. He has just found a good way to fight piracy.
Mathogo walks the busy taxi ranks, bus stops and streets of towns with his mobile battery-powered music speaker, a microphone and packs of his recent albums, selling his music directly to members of the public.
“I realised that sitting at home and relying on music stores to sell my music was a bad idea,” said the resident of Mphireleni village. “How often do people buy CDs from music stores these days?”
He said there were people who bought his CDs and duplicated them. Such counterfeits are then sold in taxi ranks, streets and villages.
“The only way to beat thieves who pirate our music is to sell our original music alongside them,” he said. “This method of selling my music directly has proven profitable. More people are accessing my music than before. I sell each CD at R70.”
Mathogo's latest album is titled Tshanda Tsha Pfene (Baboon's Hand). It comprises 10 hot tracks.
“On this album, I sing about hate and love, sadness and happiness, and issues of marriage,” he said. “I believe singers and musicians have the power to make social change with their art.”
The title track criticises people who kill fellow humans.
“If you kill your neighbour, who will help you tomorrow when you get into trouble?” he asked. “It seems like there are some people who just enjoy killing. I don't understand that kind of behaviour.”
On all his three albums, Mathogo borrows heavily from the Maskandi bass guitar.
“I have given myself enough time to listen to good music from across the various genres and cultures,” he said. “That is exactly what makes my music unique and familiar at one and the same time.”
He can be reached on 076 906 9044 or 078 073 7484.
Christopher Mathogo has just found a new way of fighting piracy.
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Christopher Mathogo sells his music in busy streets, bus stops and taxi ranks.
By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho
Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.
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