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Entertainment Reporter
THE Book Cafe is today expected to bring to life mbira with several speakers to discuss mbira during this month which has been set aside as the mbira month.Among the speakers include Terence Nazare, Ticha Muzavazi and chaired by Masimba Kuchera.
Tomorrow, there is going to be a special tribute to the late Chiwoniso Maraire (pictured below), mbira songstress who died this year after succumbing to pneumonia.
Dubbed “Chiwoniso Maraire Tuesday”, the gig featues Hope Masike who will be exploring new interpretations of her music with mbira punk group Chikwata 263.
An accomplished singer, songwriter and exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music, Chiwoniso was born on March 5, 1976 in Olympia, United States of America.
The late Chiwoniso was the daughter of renowned Zimbabwean mbira player and teacher Dumisani Maraire. At the age of 15, she returned to Zimbabwe with her family and attended Mutare Girls’ High School for Forms Three and Four before taking Advanced Level evening classes at the University of Zimbabwe where her father was a lecturer.
She cut her musical teeth with her father’s marimba groups, Dumi and Minanzi and Mhuri ya Maraire. In 1991, Chiwoniso met two young hip-hop artistes Herbert Schwamborn and Tony Chihota, and formed Zimbabwe’s first afro hip-hop group Piece of Ebony.
They recorded an album “From The Native Tongue” in 1992 in Keith Farquharson’s studio, with Keith contributing much of the music and production.
Chiwoniso was honoured with the Decouverte Afrique by Radio France International after releasing her debut album “Ancient Voices” in 1998.
The album entered the World Music Charts Europe three times and brought her a nomination in the category Best Female Vocals of Africa for the Kora Award in 1999.
From 2001 to 2004, she was a member of the multinational all-women band Women’s Voices, whose original members were from Norway, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, America, Israel and Algeria.
She also worked on soundtracks for movies and documentaries. Chiwoniso had several albums to her name and played a role as one of the most revolutionary mbira players crossing all musical borders inspiring young Zimbabweans to play the mbira in a more modern and contemporary way.
She collaborated with various musicians and artistes across the world.
Online Reporter