He was born in Zimbabwe in 1952. He is known as Tuku, he is a guitarist, vocalist and composer. He is also considered to be one of the most influential people in Africa.

He started his career as a professional musician in 1977, the year he joined the band Wagon Wheels. Later on he formed his own band called Black Spirits, with which he still continues.

He usually uses an acoustic guitar and traditional South African instruments in his compositions. Tuku looks to transmit his messages to society using his songs. Many of them mean criticising the social and political situation that is experienced in Africa.

His song Wasakara (2001) became the anthem for the opposition to the government of Zimbabwe. Due to his great social commitment, he composed a musical where he wanted to reflect the situation of poverty-stricken children in Zimbabwe. He has also written songs that reflect different social problems, on a world level, such as AIDS.

His live performances are really fantastic. He sings by mixing the Shona language, Zimbabwe's official language, and English. He is also well known for his great humanitarian work in NGOs such as Doctors without Borders. He was also declared a UNICEF goodwill Ambassador.

Sources:

• http://www.msf.es/positivegeneration/artista/oliver-tuku-mtukudzi
• http://africanmusiciansprofiles.com/oliverm.htm
• http://blogs.elpais.com/africa-no-es-un-pais/2011/12/compromiso-y-musica-iv.html