Hip Hop artiste Mudiwa Mtandwa yesterday said his decision to officially change his name to Mudiwa Hood — as he has become known in music circles — was necessitated by the need to use his real surname after discovering that “Mtandwa” was not his family name.
Mudiwa, who is popularly known for such hit songs as Ndaita Mari and Anhu Acho Tisu, was forced to issue a statement explaining the name change after a notice on his name change application appeared in a local daily.
The artiste said Mudiwa Hood, which is now officially his legal name, was not just a stage moniker and it would be an “insult” for anyone to claim that because his great grandfather, a Mr Hood, married an African woman.
“Mr Hood who resided in Chivhu, married a black woman (my great grand ma), got her pregnant and because of racism and family pressure, he chased away the black woman who is in this case my great grand ma. My great grand ma, who was pregnant then, went on to give birth to a mixed race baby and named him “Mtandwa” (we were chased away, meaning Mudzingwa). Instead of giving him the surname Hood, as a bitter woman, she adopted a surname from where she got re-married,” he explained.
“So my grand dad, used his step father’s surname and his name was Mtandwa … When my dad was born, he automatically inherited a surname that wasn’t his.”
The musician said he was an intellectual who would not just start calling himself Mudiwa Hood on the flimsy ground that “it feels good.”
“No, that is who I am. And I have the blessing of my dad, who said, ‘well done for being bold son, you did this while I am alive…’ My own dad is happy that I am now called by my real surname; who else should go against who I am,” he quipped.
Mudiwa said the only Mtandwas he was related to were his siblings as that was not their family name too.
“It was indeed a sad story to later find out the surname ‘Mtandwa’ I have been using on all my legal documents all my life was just my grandpa’s name, and I have no relatives at all who use Mtandwa except my siblings,” he said.
He said his father encouraged him to ensure that their true family history was told.
“As a proud dad, I want my children to be who they really are. I am grateful that my dad is proud and happy for me, this was the most important thing… Hood was never a stage name, but my real surname from the beginning,” he said.
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