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Rutendo Nderere
With our mother tongue fast fading among the teens nowadays, Tendai Mavengeni (pictured below) seems to stand to represent for a handful of teenagers that are proud of their roots. Unlike most teens who find it easier to write and perform songs in English, she ensures that her work is not diluted but strictly in Shona. At the age of 13, Tendai is a mbira artiste, looking to follow the footsteps of renowned artiste Claire Nyakujara, who is her role model and mentor.
Tendai has a passion for traditional music, inspired by the music of the late Chiwoniso Maraire, she is hoping to make it big one day. She started singing at the tender age of six and won a few awards at school for performing arts in Grade 2 and 3. This caught the attention of both her parents who decided to help her nurture her talent.
They say certain genes are passed on from generation to generation, but it seems Tendai picked up from both her parents as her mother was a traditional dancer in her childhood days and her father has a strong passion for music and plays various instruments making him an artiste in his own right.
She plays the “Nhare-Mbira”, which is the most complicated among the mbira instruments. She mastered how to play the mbira at the age of nine, and besides playing mbira she is also a poet.
One of the biggest norms of music is to convey a message to your audience. Tendai does this as she speaks out on violence against children and women.
Nelson Mandela once said: “No form of violence can ever be excused in a society that wishes to call itself decent, but violence against children must surely rank as the most abominable expression of violence. It just subjects the most vulnerable and the weakest to indignity, humiliation, degradation and injury.”
When Tendai performs she tries to convey such a message to her audience. Her first ever performance was in October 2012, at the Protest Arts Festival. She also performed with a live band for the first time at the Book Cafe’s Sistaz Open Mic recently.
It is very impressive seeing such vibrancy and energy. When she is performing one may actually think she has been in the business for a while. She shows versatility as she fuses snippets from her role models in the music industry into her performance. Judging from her dance routines and facial expressions it’s as if the music notes will be flowing through her veins.
Speaking to Cool Lifestyle after her performance she said: “I love what am doing, I am a totally different person on stage. And when I look at the audience the fact that they came out to listen to me is an overwhelming feeling.”
Tendai’s father and music manager Bonface Mavengeni said he supports his daughter fully in the path she has decided to take.
“I feel that children should be able to do something that they are not only good at but are happy with,” he stated.
He was quick to add that he tries to ensure that she balances both her studies and music career so that in the future she is not just a musician but an educated one too.
Tendai is already working on a five-track album that is set be launched before the end of this year. The album is titled “Spirit of my Destiny”. It features tracks that talk about her musical journey.
She sent shout-outs to all her friends and advised other upcoming artistes to always be humble.
“Because you never know when you just might fall, take time to listen to your elders and no matter what, always try to achieve the goals you set for yourself.”
Rutendo is 16 years old and goes to Arundel High School. She loves basketball and science subjects.
Online Reporter