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Stella Chiweshe: Zimbabwe’s mbira queen, rebel music star and pioneer – The Conversation
Stella Rambisai Chiweshe, affectionately known in Zimbabwe as “the queen of mbira” or “Ambuya (grandmother) Chiweshe”, passed away on 20 January 2023.
Chiweshe was born in July 1946 in the rural area of Mhondoro in the Mashonaland province of northern Zimbabwe. She began playing the mbira, an ancient thumb piano, in the early 1960s. At the time she was reproached by both men and women because she had dared to play an instrument that was ordinarily played by men.
Chiweshe was not only a singer, songwriter and musician who performed extensively across Africa, Europe and the US. She was also a cultural activist, a pioneering woman and an educator. She founded the Chivanhu Centre in Zimbabwe, home to the preservation of traditional music and culture.
Through Mbira/Anhrefn Records
Chivanhu is a Shona word for humanity. One of her goals was to ensure that the mbira continued to be the heartbeat of Zimbabwe’s people. As the African adage goes: “When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.” Her death is indeed a great loss to the country.
Pioneering force
The mbira, a powerful spiritual instrument used to communicate with the ancestors, was often played at traditional ceremonies by men. Historians trace its origins to 3,000 years ago on the west coast of Africa and to 1,300 years ago in the region that is now Zimbabwe. Chiweshe explained in an interview that:
Men played mbira, and for me to play mbira meant that I had to sit with men on either side of me. It made the women very uncomfortable.
Not only did the young Chiweshe face criticism from her family and community. She also had to contend with a ban on the instrument by the British colonial administration because the idea of ancestral worship went against their Christian values.
Chiweshe was a rebel by nature. She defied the British and played at underground night ceremonies. She would go on to be a pioneering force in several other ways.
She took mbira music beyond Zimbabwe and did important work in popularising the art form.
She was able to help fight the stigmatisation of this spiritual musical instrument.
She championed, with great pride and reverence, the dominant Shona ethnic group’s tradition and folklore through her music, which evoked a deep spirituality and connection to the ancestors.
Finally, she blazed a trail for other women, especially musicians.
A young Chiweshe live in Germany.
I explain in a book chapter in Victors, Victims and Villains: Women and Musical Arts in Zimbabwe that her performances combined mystery, presence and the use of traditional lyrics to challenge not just patriarchy but also colonial rule.
Her music, like that of other Zimbabwean musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi, was the soundtrack of the Second Chimurenga (the war of liberation against the white minority Rhodesian regime).
Female trailblazer
Although she did not openly call herself a feminist, as a female mbira custodian and practitioner she was one. British music writer Dominic Valvona explains:
Trumpeted in our modern virtue-labeling climate as a ‘feminist’, the outspoken star was certainly strong-willed, even a rebel. Making a name for herself overcoming the obstacles of tradition and a patriarchal-dominated society, her obstinacy soon garnered attention, not only in Zimbabwe but further afield.
Chiweshe fought for recognition as a talented artist and gave voice to Zimbabwean womanhood, in all its complexity. By making her body visible and her voice heard, she defied musical and cultural rites deeply rooted in ancestral tradition. This defiance challenged the marginalisation of women which denies them autonomy and agency.
Performing in 2020.
Chachimurenga (It’s Time for Revolution) is probably her most famous song. This timeless song is a call to arms. It refers to the liberation war against the Rhodesian regime and highlights the bloodshed and sacrifices made to liberate the country. The song, like most of her songs, features a fusion of mbira and other traditional instruments like marimba, drums and hosho (rattles).
Inspiring musician
Chiweshe inspired many young female mbira players, even though the mbira remains an instrument predominantly played by men. One of the notable musicians she inspired is the late, award-winning singer and mbira player Chiwoniso Maraire. Maraire emerged in the early 1990s and showed that the mbira could still evoke deeply spiritual emotions when combined with western musical instruments. Her songs resonated with people at all levels of society and offered messages of inspiration and hope as well as resistance.
Collaborating in Uganda.
Chiweshe also inspired Hope Masike, affectionately known as the “princess of mbira”, the contemporary custodian of this mystical instrument. Masike’s bold, urban fusion music shows that the mbira should not only be considered in its traditional role. She has coined the term “Gwenyambirakadzi” to describe female mbira players. Popularising the mbira among young people, Masike has helped debunk the myth that the mbira is an instrument associated with the occult.
Queen of the mbira
Stella Chiweshe refused to bow down to oppression, discouragement or even threats to her musical aspirations. She used her music to comment on and highlight issues relating to tradition and contemporary socio-political and economic issues.
Read more:
Madosini, a South African national treasure whose music kept a rich history alive
She entered a male-dominated domain and made her mark as one of the first women ever to play the mbira in public. And she showed considerable staying power. In a musical career spanning five decades, she enjoyed the spotlight as the queen of the mbira. Through her music, she cut across social limitations and geopolitics to emerge in a class of her own as spirited, talented and playful – yet always spiritually grounded in her traditional beliefs.
Stella Rambisai Chiweshe, affectionately known in Zimbabwe as “the queen of mbira” or “Ambuya (grandmother) Chiweshe”, passed away on 20 January 2023.
Chiweshe was born in July 1946 in the rural area of Mhondoro in the Mashonaland province of northern Zimbabwe. She began playing the mbira, an ancient thumb piano, in the early 1960s. At the time she was reproached by both men and women because she had dared to play an instrument that was ordinarily played by men.
Chiweshe was not only a singer, songwriter and musician who performed extensively across Africa, Europe and the US. She was also a cultural activist, a pioneering woman and an educator. She founded the Chivanhu Centre in Zimbabwe, home to the preservation of traditional music and culture.
Through Mbira/Anhrefn Records
Chivanhu is a Shona word for humanity. One of her goals was to ensure that the mbira continued to be the heartbeat of Zimbabwe’s people. As the African adage goes: “When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.” Her death is indeed a great loss to the country.
Pioneering force
The mbira, a powerful spiritual instrument used to communicate with the ancestors, was often played at traditional ceremonies by men. Historians trace its origins to 3,000 years ago on the west coast of Africa and to 1,300 years ago in the region that is now Zimbabwe. Chiweshe explained in an interview that:
Men played mbira, and for me to play mbira meant that I had to sit with men on either side of me. It made the women very uncomfortable.
Not only did the young Chiweshe face criticism from her family and community. She also had to contend with a ban on the instrument by the British colonial administration because the idea of ancestral worship went against their Christian values.
Chiweshe was a rebel by nature. She defied the British and played at underground night ceremonies. She would go on to be a pioneering force in several other ways.
She took mbira music beyond Zimbabwe and did important work in popularising the art form.
She was able to help fight the stigmatisation of this spiritual musical instrument.
She championed, with great pride and reverence, the dominant Shona ethnic group’s tradition and folklore through her music, which evoked a deep spirituality and connection to the ancestors.
Finally, she blazed a trail for other women, especially musicians.
I explain in a book chapter in Victors, Victims and Villains: Women and Musical Arts in Zimbabwe that her performances combined mystery, presence and the use of traditional lyrics to challenge not just patriarchy but also colonial rule.
Her music, like that of other Zimbabwean musicians such as Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi, was the soundtrack of the Second Chimurenga (the war of liberation against the white minority Rhodesian regime).
Female trailblazer
Although she did not openly call herself a feminist, as a female mbira custodian and practitioner she was one. British music writer Dominic Valvona explains:
Trumpeted in our modern virtue-labeling climate as a ‘feminist’, the outspoken star was certainly strong-willed, even a rebel. Making a name for herself overcoming the obstacles of tradition and a patriarchal-dominated society, her obstinacy soon garnered attention, not only in Zimbabwe but further afield.
Chiweshe fought for recognition as a talented artist and gave voice to Zimbabwean womanhood, in all its complexity. By making her body visible and her voice heard, she defied musical and cultural rites deeply rooted in ancestral tradition. This defiance challenged the marginalisation of women which denies them autonomy and agency.
Chachimurenga (It’s Time for Revolution) is probably her most famous song. This timeless song is a call to arms. It refers to the liberation war against the Rhodesian regime and highlights the bloodshed and sacrifices made to liberate the country. The song, like most of her songs, features a fusion of mbira and other traditional instruments like marimba, drums and hosho (rattles).
Inspiring musician
Chiweshe inspired many young female mbira players, even though the mbira remains an instrument predominantly played by men. One of the notable musicians she inspired is the late, award-winning singer and mbira player Chiwoniso Maraire. Maraire emerged in the early 1990s and showed that the mbira could still evoke deeply spiritual emotions when combined with western musical instruments. Her songs resonated with people at all levels of society and offered messages of inspiration and hope as well as resistance.
Chiweshe also inspired Hope Masike, affectionately known as the “princess of mbira”, the contemporary custodian of this mystical instrument. Masike’s bold, urban fusion music shows that the mbira should not only be considered in its traditional role. She has coined the term “Gwenyambirakadzi” to describe female mbira players. Popularising the mbira among young people, Masike has helped debunk the myth that the mbira is an instrument associated with the occult.
Queen of the mbira
Stella Chiweshe refused to bow down to oppression, discouragement or even threats to her musical aspirations. She used her music to comment on and highlight issues relating to tradition and contemporary socio-political and economic issues.
Read more:
Madosini, a South African national treasure whose music kept a rich history alive
She entered a male-dominated domain and made her mark as one of the first women ever to play the mbira in public. And she showed considerable staying power. In a musical career spanning five decades, she enjoyed the spotlight as the queen of the mbira. Through her music, she cut across social limitations and geopolitics to emerge in a class of her own as spirited, talented and playful – yet always spiritually grounded in her traditional beliefs.
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arts and culture
Bahraini archaeology yields insight about the movement of religion – The National
The subject of this year’s prestigious Beatrice de Cardi lectures, held at the Society of Antiquaries of London, was the archaeological discoveries over the past 22 years in Bahrain.In 2001, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, established the Anglo-Bahraini Early Islamic Bahrain Project to understand how Islam travelled across the country that, as an island nation, was a key stepping point between the Arabian peninsula and Persia and East Asia.“The state of archaeology in Bahrain has always been very good, but the Islamic period was neglected,” says Timothy Insoll, the Al-Qasimi professor of African and Islamic Archaeology at the University of Exeter, who delivered the lecture. “I think it was in part to do with the fact that people think [Islam] is what we are now – so why is it important archaeologically?”Islam was also not a preferred subject of study for most European or American teams, who tended to excavate periods they perceived more of a connection to such as early Christianity or Greco-Roman sites – whether in Bahrain or other locations across the Islamic world, such as Afghanistan.Insoll and his teams worked to fill in these missing gaps to try and understand what happened from around 7th to 11th centuries when the inhabitants of Bahrain converted to Islam, largely from Christianity.Timothy Insoll, the Al-Qasimi Professor of African and Islamic Archaeology at the University of Exeter. Photo: Wikimedia commons In the 2010s, they found the site of Bilad Al Qadeem, which they have shown to be the centre of Islamic settlement in the 11th to 13th century AD. Excavations at the palace there divulged information about what kinds of food the inhabitants then ate, how they kept and stored water and even the environment.The presence of mollusks showed that ground was wetter and danker than the current desert. That might have brought with it its own complications – such as the spread of parasites, which Insoll and his team theorise came along trade routes. The large mangrove trees that were used to support the palace at Bilad Al Qadeem, as for other houses of the time, were imported from Madagascar and East Africa, and the diseases might have come with these beams on the ship.Insoll, working with Rachel MacLean of the University of Exeter, as well as students and other archaeologists, opened a small museum in 2016 to display some of the extraordinary funerary monuments they discovered, with their finely carved calligraphy attesting to the names of the men and women buried there.A small park, which is coming soon, will integrate a canal from the time of Bilad Al Qadeem into the recreational environs, drawing on its 1,000-year-old ability to cool the air and circulate water.Insoll also identified a number of changes over the past two decades of working in the Gulf – most notably, an expansion of who has been involved in the field.Previously “it was all foreigners, parachuting [into the Gulf] and doing their monthly fieldwork, and then publishing in journals like these,” he explained, gesturing at the leather-bound volumes in the Society of Antiquaries’ library. “Archeology wasn’t engaging with the local population or building capacity among local students. And this has been a change throughout the Gulf – and now in Saudi with Vision 2030.”Insoll’s team now includes Salman Almahari of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities – the first Bahraini to achieve a PhD in archaeology.They also discovered another site showing the fertile crossover of religions in Bahrain, such as Samahij, a Nestorian Christian dwelling from the 7th century. Found on the isle of Muharraq, just off the coast of the country, signs in the site heavily suggest Christian habitation, such as the outline of a fish etched into one of the walls and ceramics bearing the sign of the cross.Local Bahrainis helped the archeologists identify some of the food sources, such as the fish that were very similar to those of the present day.“The notion of partnership is extremely important, and that’s pushing archaeology to the next level,” says Insoll. “We are now integrating the local voice – people saying I remember this site 50 years ago, this is what was here then. Why don’t you go and excavate here, or I understand this type of structure or material – like the madbasa, a room that was used for fermenting dates.“The world is changing, and archaeology should reflect that. And archaeology is a lot richer for it.”Updated: September 23, 2023, 7:07 AM
The subject of this year’s prestigious Beatrice de Cardi lectures, held at the Society of Antiquaries of London, was the archaeological discoveries over the past 22 years in Bahrain.
In 2001, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, established the Anglo-Bahraini Early Islamic Bahrain Project to understand how Islam travelled across the country that, as an island nation, was a key stepping point between the Arabian peninsula and Persia and East Asia.
“The state of archaeology in Bahrain has always been very good, but the Islamic period was neglected,” says Timothy Insoll, the Al-Qasimi professor of African and Islamic Archaeology at the University of Exeter, who delivered the lecture. “I think it was in part to do with the fact that people think [Islam] is what we are now – so why is it important archaeologically?”
Islam was also not a preferred subject of study for most European or American teams, who tended to excavate periods they perceived more of a connection to such as early Christianity or Greco-Roman sites – whether in Bahrain or other locations across the Islamic world, such as Afghanistan.
Insoll and his teams worked to fill in these missing gaps to try and understand what happened from around 7th to 11th centuries when the inhabitants of Bahrain converted to Islam, largely from Christianity.
In the 2010s, they found the site of Bilad Al Qadeem, which they have shown to be the centre of Islamic settlement in the 11th to 13th century AD. Excavations at the palace there divulged information about what kinds of food the inhabitants then ate, how they kept and stored water and even the environment.
The presence of mollusks showed that ground was wetter and danker than the current desert. That might have brought with it its own complications – such as the spread of parasites, which Insoll and his team theorise came along trade routes. The large mangrove trees that were used to support the palace at Bilad Al Qadeem, as for other houses of the time, were imported from Madagascar and East Africa, and the diseases might have come with these beams on the ship.
Insoll, working with Rachel MacLean of the University of Exeter, as well as students and other archaeologists, opened a small museum in 2016 to display some of the extraordinary funerary monuments they discovered, with their finely carved calligraphy attesting to the names of the men and women buried there.
A small park, which is coming soon, will integrate a canal from the time of Bilad Al Qadeem into the recreational environs, drawing on its 1,000-year-old ability to cool the air and circulate water.
Insoll also identified a number of changes over the past two decades of working in the Gulf – most notably, an expansion of who has been involved in the field.
Previously “it was all foreigners, parachuting [into the Gulf] and doing their monthly fieldwork, and then publishing in journals like these,” he explained, gesturing at the leather-bound volumes in the Society of Antiquaries’ library. “Archeology wasn’t engaging with the local population or building capacity among local students. And this has been a change throughout the Gulf – and now in Saudi with Vision 2030.”
Insoll’s team now includes Salman Almahari of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities – the first Bahraini to achieve a PhD in archaeology.
They also discovered another site showing the fertile crossover of religions in Bahrain, such as Samahij, a Nestorian Christian dwelling from the 7th century. Found on the isle of Muharraq, just off the coast of the country, signs in the site heavily suggest Christian habitation, such as the outline of a fish etched into one of the walls and ceramics bearing the sign of the cross.
Local Bahrainis helped the archeologists identify some of the food sources, such as the fish that were very similar to those of the present day.
“The notion of partnership is extremely important, and that’s pushing archaeology to the next level,” says Insoll. “We are now integrating the local voice – people saying I remember this site 50 years ago, this is what was here then. Why don’t you go and excavate here, or I understand this type of structure or material – like the madbasa, a room that was used for fermenting dates.
“The world is changing, and archaeology should reflect that. And archaeology is a lot richer for it.”
Updated: September 23, 2023, 7:07 AM
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Stand Out From The Crowd - A Marketing Tip By ZimMarket
Stand Out From The Crowd
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