Documentaries: Mbira Culture
With support from the Arts Council England, we made a series of documentaries exploring culture and spiritual values within well known Mbira songs.
Introduction: Mbira Culture
This is the first in our Mbira song documentaries. It gives an overview of some key topics around the Shona culture of Mbira playing, as well as an overview of the Mbira as an instrument and its relationship to Zimbabwean culture and music.
Gorekore
Gorekore explores the values of maintaining cultural heritage and customs. Key topics include the clan or totem systems of Shona culture, and how our family history and ancestry informs who we are. It talks about history, migration, education and respect between generations.
Fodya
This documentary unpacks cultural and spiritual practice and how 'Fodya' fits in with Mbira culture. It also discusses the history, origins and health implications. We have recorded and published versions of this song and it has always been close to peoples hearts. It felt right to go a bit deeper into what it means and how it fits into Shona culture.
Chigwaya
This documentary dives into the beliefs and spiritual practices around water spirits and how they are integrated into Zimbabwean Shona and Mbira culture. It also discusses the history, origins and observances.
This song stands out in the repertoire of Mbira, for being explicitly about water spirits, and is often associated with connections further afield, travel and prosperity.
Chaminuka ndiMambo
Chaminuka is a great spirit and prophet of Zimbabwean Shona spiritual culture. Chaminuka therefore has an integral place in the understanding of our spirituality and the evolution of the Mbira. Using our song, Chaminuka Ndimambo, we will discuss some of the key events, and concepts around this powerful figure.