BY BRIDGET MABANDA
IT’S cyclical nature, with each new repetition of a theme varying slightly from the last and incorporating numerous interwoven melodies, with contrasting and syncopated rhythms, mbira music is unique.
Mbira, the name of both instrument and music, pervades all aspects of Shona traditional culture, both sacred and secular.
However, with competition from dancehall, gospel and sungura music, mbira is under threat as the young generation opts for the former mostly.
In Zimbabwe, traditional musicians used to remind their communities that mbira was played to encourage the spirits to continue protecting the land and people of Zimbabwe.
Now, the majority of local artistes are into other styles of music other than mbira.
Traditional ceremonies continue to this day, though not all Zimbabweans participate in them. During colonialism, missionaries taught that mbira was evil due to its association with the ancestral spirits and it was during that time that mbira music started declining.
The Zimbabwe College of Music has made efforts at making mbira a core subject to both female and male musicians, yet mbira musicians have found the going tough.
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Mbira queen, Gogo Stella Chiweshe made efforts to revive culture in 2014 when she launched Chivanhu Trust, whose aim was to reignite the spirit and passion for Zimbabwean cultural legacy, especially among the youth
Youthful Tinashe “Wembira” Ambizi has latched onto the idea of growing mbira in Zimbabwe and is learning a wide range of norms, customs, beliefs, religion and human phenomena in the country.
The 27-year-old mbira musician-cum-social activist said mbira music was at crossroads, adding that he was working on taking people back to the days when mbira music reigned supreme.
“Zimbabwe’s musical traditions and culture is at crossroads. The present generation and tourists may, therefore, be at risk of hardly giving attention to authentic Zimbabwean music and culture,” he said.
Wembira said he was dreaming big in terms of reviving Zimbabwean culture.
“The lockdown gave me time to write poems and work on mbira skills and recordings as I dropped a single track titled Mandikanya early this year. Mandikanya is a song that advocates for an end to gender-based violence.”
“Youths are now much interested in mbira reggae tunes. I am working on Mwana Wandinoda, a mbira reggae tune and Mandikanya, a fusion of dancehall and jazz,” he said.
The Mufakose-Marimba-based mbira artiste started playing mbira at the age of 16. He said Sekuru Fenyere of Mutare discovered him and taught him three mbira modes and from there, he started learning mbira with his ears.
His music addresses social issues from which his inspiration comes, uniting people as well as giving them hope.
Ambizi said he was working on six singles to be released soon.
“I am planning to start an Ambizi school of traditional music, write cultural books, as well as doing cultural exchange programmes around the globe,” he said.
Mbira music got more popular in the late 1990s through the work of musicians like the late award-winning artiste Chiwoniso Maraire, who won a prestigious Decouverte Afrique award in 1998 after releasing her album titled Ancient Voices.
Her album entered the World Music Charts Europe three times and brought her a nomination in the Best Female Vocals of Africa for the Kora awards in 1999.
