The Sunday News
Mbongeni Msimanga Sunday Leisure Correspondent
IT is rare to hear of a youthful music group venturing into the traditional mbira genre, but locally based ensemble Mambo-Mbira has decided to take the little travelled route and belt out mbira tunes in an attempt to revive and promote local culture.In their short space of existence in the showbiz industry, they have managed to tour Austria courtesy of 10th District, a recording label that is owned by Dumisani Ramandu Moyo.
So few are mbira groups in Bulawayo that the genre is lost — all that is played by most music fans on their radio and television sets is the popular hip-hop, kwaito and dancehall music which has taken the local music industry by storm.
But the youthful mbira group seek to defy odds and divert from the popular music genres to preserve and revive their roots.
“We want to preserve our culture that has seemingly been lost due to the current trends of music that have emerged in Zimbabwe. Ours is to introduce the genre to a new generation and also preserve mbira music,” said one of the group members Haile Hudson.
There are four members in the group — Othnell “Mangoma” Moyo who was christened Mangoma because of his hard hitting ability when playing the drums, Edgar Bera and Haile Hudson who plays mbira and the only female in the group, Zanele Maseko who plays the hosho.
Their only song “Mandarendare” which celebrates their forefathers’ music, tradition and culture has earned them a trip to a foreign land where they will showcase their talent as well as market the Zimbabwean traditional music instrument — the mbira and their group.
“We have one song so far while others are still being recorded. Our compilation album is set to be out this year. Basically the group has four members who have done well in their individual careers,” said Hudson.
Although the group has not done much in terms of live performances, they will join a league of local custodians of the mbira genre — a unique sound that has spread to distant lands but has not been celebrated much in Zimbabwe.
Individually their careers beam of success — with Zanele Maseko as a traditional dancer with Ehloseni Traditional group, Egdar Bere who was born in a family that plays mbira and has also played with the late Chiwoniso Maraire while “Mangoma” has had his fair share of performances at the Book Café and also has played at a number of venues in Mozambique.
Hudson has been doing well as a solo artiste.
“We have had great individual careers and our fusion of strengths will definitely be something to be reckoned with. Our music appeals to everyone and we also borrow from the different genres to accommodate everyone, although we still maintain the mbira genre,” said Mangoma.
According to the 10th District website, the mbira group offers a different package that involves story telling that is mixed with dance routines.
“The quartet takes their package one step forward with elegant dance routines, storytelling, poetry and visuals over beautiful mbira music. This style of music allows one to dance to it, or simply play it for meditation and relaxation,” reads the website.
Over the years the genre has only been celebrated in distant lands, with names such as Hope Masike being some of the musicians who have taken the genre abroad.
Some of the groups in Zimbabwe that have maintained the mbira genre are Culture Vibes, Dzimbahwe Mbira, Negombwe Mbira, Mbira Dzenharira, Mawungira Enharira and many others. It therefore remains to be seen if the youthful Mambo-Mbira will join these groups in maintaining and preserving the local Mbira music.
