Mono defends Intotal band's copyright infringement

Veteran Zimbabwean music producer Clive "Mono" Mukundu and gospel musician Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave have escalated their public dispute, with the two artists trading accusations over their professional history and contributions to several recordings.

Mukundu has claimed that Fungisai may be suffering from dementia after she disputed having worked with him on some of her music.

Speaking to Zimpapers Arts Hub, Mukundu said their professional relationship dated back more than two decades.

"For someone to forget such a well-documented history could be due to dementia, so we must pray for her recovery. That is all I can say," Mukundu said.

He also accused Fungisai of being among artists who were "ganging up" on The Intotal Band.

"I mentioned dementia because she claims she never worked with me," he said.

Mukundu said he worked with Fungisai from January 7, 2001, when they recorded Tinokutendaishe Volume 1, which featured the popular song Vanogona Mwari.

He said they followed this with Toite Zvedenga in February 2002 and subsequently worked on about five or six more albums.

"Then we recorded 'Toite Zvedenga' on February 7, 2002, and then we did approximately five or six more albums. All of them produced hits," he said.

According to Mukundu, their collaboration also extended to live performances between 2001 and 2005.

He further claimed that their professional relationship continued into recent years, citing the 2023 song Vana Vapera, a collaboration between Fungisai and Silent Killer, which he said he produced at his studio.

Fungisai, however, has strongly challenged Mukundu's account, insisting that credits for music production should be determined by documented records rather than recollections shared years later.

"Information about music production isn't a matter of opinion to be debated on podcasts 24 years later. It is a matter of record, permanently etched onto the album sleeve," she said.

She accused unnamed individuals of attempting to rewrite the history of her music and claim credit for work she believes was done by others.

Fungisai also invoked former Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels in making her point about repeatedly telling falsehoods.

"According to Joseph Goebbels, if you tell a big lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it," she said.

She accused some people in the music industry of being "spotlight sick" and seeking attention by claiming credit for other people's work.

"When people are spotlight sick, they will shamelessly claim the work of others. It is fascinating how they can eventually believe their own misrepresented narratives," she said.

Fungisai further distinguished between music production and the work of musicians hired to reproduce arrangements for live performances.

"There is a difference between being a producer and a hired session artist who learns and recreates what the producer has already put together for the purposes of establishing a live band," she said.

She also referred to "classic Histrionic Personality Disorder", although she did not make a clinical diagnosis of anyone.

Fungisai was contacted for comment on Mukundu's latest claims but had not responded by the time of publication. However, in a Facebook post, she reiterated her position and accused some individuals of becoming consumed by what she described as "lies, pure bitterness and hatred".

The dispute comes amid a broader debate within Zimbabwe's music industry over the recognition and ownership of creative contributions, particularly the roles played by producers, session musicians, live-band members and headline artists.

The disagreement has also become linked to a wider row involving The Intotal Band, with Mukundu accusing Fungisai of being among artists criticising the group.

For now, the public spat has brought renewed attention to old recordings, album credits and studio collaborations, with both artists presenting sharply different accounts of their shared musical history.