adminONE of the longest serving members of the late Mbuya Stella Chiweshe’s Earthquake Band members has said the mbira legend was a true cultural ambassador.
H-Metro reporter, Takawira Photoveteran Dapi (TPD) chatted with the marimba player, David Tapfuma (DT), at her burial in Nekati Village under Chief Masembura in Bindura last week.
TPD: First of all, my condolences. Please tell us about your musical journey with Mbuya Chiweshe?
DT: I come from Rusape and I am of the Soko totem. I was at St Peter’s Kubatana where I made marimba. I joined her band together with her brother Elfigio and her daughter, Virginia Mukwesha after I convinced her to add marimba to her mbira.
She asked for a marimba player and I advised her to include Leonard Ngwenya and Samson. Unfortunately, both of them are now late.
Afterwards, Mbuya Chiweshe asked me to tour with her after initially touring with the National Dance Company of Zimbabwe composed of the late Sekuru Gora, Ephat Mujuru, Irene Chigamba, David Chipfunyise and many others.
TPD: Who came up with this English band name Earthquake for Ambuya because she wanted everything and everyone to be African?
DT: We all contributed and about 10 names came up after Ambuya asked us to suggest a band name before touring.
We chose the name Earthquake because we knew Mbuya loved music that was energy sapping. She straight away accepted the name.
TPD: When was your first international tour?
TD: My first international tour was when Mbuya Chiweshe took me to Germany. By then, it was divided into East and West Germany. We first performed in the East and then went to West Germany.
Fans in West Germany were the funniest than those in the East because those in the East didn’t like our dress code, but those in the West had no problem with our T-shirts and jeans.
We performed in Amsterdam, Italy and Belgium. We so yearned for Zimbabwean food and luckily we were invited to eat sadza at Moses Chunga’ s house in Belgium. After all our international tours, I used to return to my St Peter’s Kubatana Marimba Band.
TPD: Musically and socially, how best can you describe Mbuya Chiweshe in brief?
DT: She was focused and hard-working. She loved and followed her culture and traditions. She loved very simple notes, and didn’t like many melodies to compete against each other.
She loved very simple melodies.
Socially, you could not use when talking with her.
She believed in respect and would not travel with disrespectful people.
She never changed her lifestyle. She used to take 50kgs mealie-meal, madora, rapoko and sorghum mealie meal, dried nyevhe, munyemba, muboora, chimera chemaheu, rupiza and okra to her Germany home.
She never prioritised meat and she would put on her tracksuits and do massive exercises with us.
TPD: Was Mbuya Chiweshe a spirit medium, vayisvikirwa here?
DT: For almost 30 years that I worked with her, I don’t remember a single day pavakambosvikirwa.
Those were just people’s assumptions. She was an energetic performer who thrilled fans and some people interpreted that in their own way.
Mbuya Chiweshe was not a spirit medium. Even at traditional ceremonies, many would get into a trance while Mbuya just played her mbira all night.
Online Reporter