Nhava -- Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi Sanctuary Records -- Released on April 26, 2005 Official Site Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, one of the most powerful creative forces to emerge from Zimbabwe in the last three decades, gives the world a few such tools - and a safe place to carry them - in Nhava (HUCD 3102), his debut album on Heads Up International scheduled for worldwide release on April 26, 2005. Nhava is the latest installment in the label's critically acclaimed Heads Up Africa series. Mtukudzi says the new album - named after the Zimbabwean word for "carrying bag" - is a satchel filled with nuggets of advice, encouragement and wisdom for travelers on the journey of life as they make their way through an often perilous world. "Every song on this album has something to teach about life, something to remind you and encourage you about what is important in life," says Mtukudzi, who has built a vast body of work by skillfully balancing compelling African rhythms and accessible melodies to address social issues relevant to not only his native Zimbabwe but to people and cultures everywhere. "All of these ideas are universal. They are the same for every human being, regardless of their culture or their environment." In a recent interview "Tuku," as he is affectionately known, said Nhava is premised on a story about the fortunes or misfortunes of a young person who leaves home in search of a better life overseas. The album is relevant to the Zimbabwean situation where more than three million people have gone into the diaspora in search of a better living. Nhava explores the effects of migrant labor where families leave their homes in search of greener pastures only to discover that life is not as rosy as they are made to believe. This has already been witnessed by hundreds of Zimbabweans who are being deported on a daily basis from the United Kingdom.