GWERU – Gifted guitarist, multi-instrumentalists, music producer and author Mono Mukondo, who
recently graduated with a First Class degree in Music Business, Musicology and Technology at the
Midlands State University, has urged fellow artists to enhance their music career through education.
Below, the Times Arts and Entertainment (TAE) spoke with Mukundu (MONO) after the 23rd MSU
blended graduation ceremony which was officiated by the university Chancellor, President
Emmerson Mnangagwa recently.
TAE: Congratulations for graduating with a First Class Degree. How do you feel to graduate with a
First Class degree and being capped by President Mnangagwa?
MONO: That was a very huge honour, because from the whole class we were just six people with
first class graduands who were capped by the President. It was a great honour to be in the first class.
It was a great honour to be capped by the President, to see him face to face. That was my first time
to see him face to face that close.
TAE: Who do you dedicate the degree to?
MONO: I dedicate the degree to a lot of people, – my wife Jean for her support. We have been
married for 28 years and we have kids some who are graduands themselves, my music teachers, the
ones who taught me music for the first time like the late Mr Saidi who was my guitar teacher and the
first person to teach me how to play the guitar on 22 January 1988 as well as Isaac Chirwa and
Ambuju who taught me the theory side of music before I went to any college.
TAE: How has been your journey towards attaining this degree?
MONO: This has been a long journey because this was supposed to take me three years since I am in
the field already but because of Covid-19 and restrictions, we ended up taking four years to
complete this degree. It was tough shifting from face-to-face lectures to online lectures that we
were not used to and we had problems with data and network, so it was very challenging, it was not
supposed to be like that had it not been for Covid-19.
TAE: What was your course study?
MONO: It’s Music Business, Musicology and Technology, so it comprised three faculties but they are
all about music.
TAE: What’s your advice to fellow artists about enhancing their music career through education?
MONO: If you look around the world, the majority of musicians, sound engineers, music producers
they go through college education not to look for work. This is the mistake we make here in
Zimbabwe to always go to college for the purposes of looking for work.
Those guys just go (to college) to improve themselves so that they know what they are doing and
enable them to speak the same language with any other musician or sound engineer everywhere.
There is also this stupid myth that says if you go to college your talent would be diluted, this is not
true. How can adding to your talent dilute your talent, that doesn’t make sense. So, I want musicians
to remove that myth and get educated because it helps them in their career and to understand their
field better.
TAE: Your brief background
MONO: I was born on 15 September 1970 in Rusape but I grew up in Harare. I am a guitarist, multi-
instrumentalists, music producer and author. I have published three books. As a session guitarist, I
have worked on over a thousand projects. As a producer, I have produced artists like Jah Prayzah,
Alexio Kawara, Derick Mpofu, Albert Nyati, Bongo Riot, Lufuno Dagada, Mango Groove from South
Africa, Mau Mwale, Stanford Tembo, Chris Aka, Cactus Agony from Zambia, Joseph Tembo from
Malawi, Luciano from Jamaica and a lot of others.
TAE: Which are the top artists you have worked with?
MONO: I have worked with Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, Chiwoniso Maraire, Alexio Kawara, Jah
Prayzah, Derick Mpofu, Albert Nyathi and others.
