Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Paul Matavire

Paul Matavire was a celebrated Zimbabwean Sungura musician who rose to fame through his songs such as ”Christmas Yasvika”, “Nhamo Yousavi”, “Tanga Wandida” and “MaU”. Dr Love, as he was affectionately known by his loyal fans had a unique genre of music which often came enticed with long phrases of rich poetry. Matavire was given the name Dr Love by his fans for his passion for love music which made his fans think that he was an expert in the field. Besides love music which composed the bigger chunk of his songs, Matavire was a great social commentator, motivator, teacher and entertainer.

Here are the top ten things you might not know about Matavire Below!

1. Paul Matavire was born in 1963 in the Maranda communal areas of Mwenezi in the Masvingo Province of Zimbabwe and passed away in 2005 at his home in Mwenenzi after a short illness.

2. Matavire attended Copota School of the Blind in the Masvingo Province

3. In 1982, Matavire abandoned his social worker training with Jairos Jiri, an association for the disabled, to join a musical band full time in Bulawayo after he had taught himself to play drums and the guitar. His debut song was in honour of the founder of the organisation, Jairos Jiri titled “Pamberi NavaJiri”.

4. It did not take long for Matavire to establish himself as the Clarence Carter of Zimbabwe with his rich poetic lyrics which in languages such as Shona, Ndebele, Venda and English.

5. Despite being blind, he lost his sight aged six after suffering from glaucoma, Matavire’s lyrics describe situations so vividly that most of his fans who had not met him could not believe that he was visually impaired and this was because he gave vivid real life experiences in his songs.

6. It was the Jairos Jiri group that provided Matavire with the much-needed platform which allowed him to rise to fame in the local music circles. He then left in the early 90s after his return from prison to form his own group.

7. Matavire with his entourage of 27 musicians travelled to Europe in 1989 where they were reported to have had successful performances. A proposed 1990 European tour was cancelled due to the court case, but Matavire continued with concerts within Zimbabwe including being a supporting act for international artists.

8. He was arrested in 1989 after he was convicted for a rape crime which he had committed in the Chiundura communal lands. He was eventually freed in 1991 and continued his music career with a new album which was titled “Back from College” in which he celebrated his release from prison.

9. Matavire was also known for leading a simple life. Semi-retired before his death, he balanced music with tending goats and cattle in Rutenga where he moved after 2000 when he was awarded a farm by the Zimbabwe government during the land reform programme. His last release in 2003 was ‘Zimbe Remoto.

10. The unmistakable Paul Matavire voice is still rocking radio in 21st Century Zimbabwe. A decade after his death, people are still listening to Dr. Love’s love lyrics, his motivational poetic music, his intriguing and priceless social messages; and above all, his unique rhythmic entertaining music. His legacy lives on !