Mawungira Enharira

In their village of Norton, an hour West of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, Mawungira Enharira members are known for their open rehearsals in which anyone can come and play mbira, hosho, ngoma, dance, or sing with them. It is through these rehearsals that the village of Norton has been able to cultivate young talent that has gone on to form spectacular traditional music bands that have performed in venues across Zimbabwe. The legacy of the older musicians in Mawungira Enharira, and indeed Mbira Dzenharira, the original group from which Mawungira Enharira emerged, can be seen in the younger players who play alongside them and fluidly sing the lyrics as if they were born knowing what to do with the mbira.

The group is as adept at teaching community singing and dancing workshops as they are splitting up and teaching more focused, individual workshops in mbira and hosho. Each member of the group is a gwenyambira (master mbira player) in his own right and in their free time the members of Mawungira Enharira play at traditional ceremonies for their families and communities. Their meteoric rise to the top of the popular music charts in Zimbabwe is a testament to their skill at making traditional music not only more accessible, but socially conscious and highly entertaining.

The members of Mawungira Enharira call each other by their totems as a sign of respect for the spirits that endow each one of them with their musicianship.

dandemutande.com

Posted by "mbirajunction"



Posted by "mawungira"

Forward Kwenda 1998

Posted by"mbiriviri"

Forward Kwenda - "Tadzungaira"

Tadzungaira - M'bira radio station live.

Forward Kwenda was born 5 April 1963 in the rural Buhera area of Zimbabwe, an area known for its fierce resistance to colonial rulers and respect for Shona tradition. As a young boy, Forward excelled in traditional dance and recitation of ancient poetry. At the age of 10, he began to play ngoma (drums) and hosho (gourd rattles) for his mother's gombwe (rain-making) spirit. He was given the name "Forward" because of his curiosity about many subjects, enthusiastic involvement in many activities and his singing for liberation war freedom fighters.

By 1985, Forward was playing in a unusually complex style - much to the amazement of master m'bira players two and three generations his senior. This style was first recorded in 1985 and 1986 by his American friend Glenn Makuna (see MBIRA tapes nos. 56, 57, 58, 143), who dubbed Kwenda "the Coltrane of m'bira."

Asked about his experience of playing m'bira, Forward responds:

"When I pick up my m'bira, I don't know what is going to happen. The music just goes by itself, taking me higher and higher until I can end up crying because the music is so much greater than a human being can understand." and "I just have to get out of the way so spirits can make my m'bira play."

Mbira.org

Posted by "Gwenyambira" .

Mhuri ye kwa Rwizi - "Nhemamusasa" 1972

Picture: Mhuri ye kwa Rwizi - Hakurotwi Mude, leader at the right.

From the album: "Zimbabwe - Shona Mbira Music" (Explorer Nonesuch). If you like this, get it and support their effort.

Posted by "AboubacarSiddikh"