The Sunday News
Peter Matika Senior Leisure Reporter
HITTING the drum with the palm of the hand is easy, anyone with a hand can do it. Even a toddler can do it. But playing the drum rhythmically to a song or following some vocals is a tall order to many but not to a six-year-old Pumula child Eric Gwiriri. Yes we should admit that in Africa it takes quite a number of years to identify and nurture talent but the boy from Bulawayo’s Pumula South suburb seems to have defied the odds, as he has mastered the art of playing three traditional music instruments.
Eric plays the mbira, marimba and drums (ngoma) and owes it all to his father, Pardon Gwiriri, who manufactures these instruments and distributes them to schools around the country.
His father’s primary focus and aspiration is to produce and distribute traditional instruments around the country’s schools in line with the adage catch them young, but said he never once noticed that Eric had a particular interest in them. He, however, found him expertly playing the drum at home much to his surprise.
He said he was not merely hitting the drum but playing it rhythmically and with so much ease.
“My son plays the mbira, drums and marimba (xylophone). He plays the instruments like a professional but no one taught him how to do so. When I found him playing the drum at home one day I was surprised and asked him who had taught him, to which he responded that he had been watching me play.
“At the moment he plays the instruments at school but is not part of a band and neither do I want him be at present as it may affect his education,” said Gwiriri.
Eric is a Grade One pupil at Ingwegwe Primary School in Pumula East, where he plays the traditional drum at special events and occasions.
“He normally plays the drum at assembly or when they have special occasions,” said Gwiriri.
Eric has by far surpassed many who play music instruments as he is able to play all three and has also mastered playing three drums at once.
“He started playing one drum but now he plays three and can play various beats,” said Gwiriri, showing a video of his son playing the drums while he sang along to the tune.
Gwiriri said he only taught him how to play the mbira, an instrument, which he said he also taught himself to play and loved.
Gwiriri is a self-styled traditional instrument manufacturer who ventured into the art at the age of 14 in 1991.
“I have been making these instruments for as long as I can remember and they have brought food to my table and I am quite well off,” he said.
Gwiriri said he had worked on various projects with organisations such as Unicef and the Catholic Development Fund in supplying rural schools with traditional instruments.
“People used to look at me queerly because of what I had chosen to do. This kept me off the streets and has done so for many other youths. My wish is to partner with organisations that seek to remove delinquent behaviour from youths,” he said.
Gwiriri said he too like his son could play all instruments and was self-taught but had never participated in any competition.
He said his hope was to see schoolchildren appreciating traditional instruments, as a means of promoting and preserving culture.
“Children nowadays know western stuff more than their own local stuff. We need to come up with programmes to promote our culture in schools and that is my motive in making and distributing these,” he said.
Gwiriri operates from a small backyard workshop and is able to produce a number of instruments, with the help of three people he employs.
“Making the mbira takes us about 30 minutes, a full marimba set takes us four days and two hours for a drum,” he said.
