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By Chimeno Azriel
All is set for the Dare Rana Gwenyambira unified mbira Melody set for this week in Norton with Dubbed DZEPAMVURA MBIRA ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL, which will feature mbira players and instrumentalists from various regions who were in the boot camp for the past month.
Speaking to the Project Manager Mr Kandororo, he said the festival is going to be a day to remember as it is the first of its kind to have a mbira orchestra in Zimbabwe and not in the world.
“The mbira players will play their mbira and hosho as one and the festival is going to be a day to remember,” said Mr Kandororo.
The festival is going to be held on the 22nd of December 2021 at Mazowe Sailing Club and Hon Kirsty Conventry is expected to grace the occasion.
Starting at 1400hrs, the festival is expected to end around 2000hrs with people abiding to the Covid-19 regulations.
“The festival is going to be held in December starting at 1400 hrs until 2000hrs with WHO Health guidelines are to be followed,” said Kandororo.
Kandororo added that the Minister of Sports,Arts and Culture, Kirsty Coventry is expected to grace the Occasion and various Government officials and the Corporate World are expected to be at Mazowe Sailing Club.
“It is the sweet melody that is produced by the instruments which is unique that is intangible and as a centre we need to preserve our social practices and festive events hence the coming of Mbira Orchestra festival as the first of it’s kind in whole world.
“It is in the wake of preserving the Cultural heritage, a mbira orchestra festival is on the card and on the Unity Day it will be the first ever mbira festival and mbira traditionalist and traditional instrumentalists from all the provinces in Zimbabwe will team up and produce the uniqueness of the mbira sounds. ” The whole idea of the festival is to bring together the knowledge of Mbira from a variety of Cultural contexts in Zimbabwe,” said Kandororo.
According to Kandororo, 7 different types of mbira instruments are emerging and fusing it with the traditional instruments in ngoma and hosho type sounds found in Zimbabwe.
It comes with mbira Nhare, Njari, Matepe or Hera, Mbira yeVaTonga, mbira dzeVaNdau, Nyunga Nyunga/ Karimba and lastly Mateka. Ngoma yeGorekore, yeChidzimba, yeMateka, YeMbende/Jerusalem.
“We are going to merge different types of mbira instruments across the country and form an orchestra and it shall also put the name of our country on the map,” Kandororo highlighted.
As the instruments merge, there will be also sets of Mbira sounds that will be the lead, rhythm and bass.
According to the set up there will be Nheketo that is the Lead, Dongonda or Duriro that will produce rhythm and sub- rhythm and lastly Nhova pasi that is the Bass.
“We will be having 3 sets of Mbira instruments in each type of Mbira instrument.”
Dzepamvura mbira Art Centre set focus on intangible Cultural heritage as a way to safeguard the intellectual property of the Mbira instrument from different parts of the country as they held the first ever Mbira Orchestra boot camp last month.
According to the production manager, the creation of the mbira Orchestra was a huge step in the drive of preserving the intangible heritage where it shall be popularised to younger and older generation.
“It is the sound’s uniqueness which has prompted in many countries now playing the instrument. Because of it’s uniqueness and it’s intangible, the instrument is now being played in other countries.”
The creation of the Mbira Orchestra and preservation of the intangible heritage is also expected to help in gaining awareness and appreciation.
Imvuu Media Production, Norton Mp Themba Mliswa ,National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Wilson’s Furniture, Venice Mine, Triple C, Funhouse, TMG, Ministry of Youth Sports Arts and Recreation ,Traditional Chiefs, German international Broadcast and Chimeno Azriel made sure everything was in place.