Mbira

Contributed by
Thabo

"When I looked at them, how it was being represented within the glass box, I said, no, this needs to be changed because there's more to this instrument than what is just being put there. It doesn't make sense. It's reducing that object; it’s reducing the culture of people. There's a history. "

0:000:00

Thabo grew up in Zimbabwe caught between two worlds—his Shona heritage and the Christian faith imposed through colonial rule. Emerging from this tension is the mbira, a sacred instrument. For the Shona people, the mbira is more than music; it is a spiritual bridge to ancestors, a tool for healing and guidance, and an integral part of life’s most significant moments. Thabo reflects on how this once-forbidden instrument, now recognised as the national instrument of Zimbabwe, remains a powerful connection to his roots. Since settling in the UK, he finds that its distinct, mystic sound carries new weight. Listen to Thabo's story, featuring the mbira played by Miles Ncube, a gwenyambira (spiritual mbira player)…

Transcript

0:07 There's a saying - for you to conquer a person, you need to strip them of their own identity, and then you give them a different identity. In Shona, before Christianity, we had our own beliefs, we had our own way of living. 0:26 So, then when I looked at them, how it was being represented within the glass box, I said, no, this needs to be changed because there's more to this instrument than what is just being put there. It doesn't make sense. It's reducing that object; it’s reducing the culture of people. There's a history. 0:52 Not everybody plays the instrument. The people who play the instrument, especially, they're called Gwenyambira. So, one who tickles the mbira, because when you play it, you use your thumbs, so you're tickling it for you to get the sound. 1:10 The culture believes in that there is another realm where the people, when they die, they're still watching over you. The spirit is still there. So, there are people who tap into the realm of the spirit world for that. The ancients want to come and talk to the person. So, the mbira is very, very, very important. 1:32 It is played. So, they have to have somebody who's got a gift to play the mbira, and then they can foresee the future. They can help with the problems that are happening within the house, which are happening within the community. 1:55 So all the instruments, all those beliefs that people had before, the Christian missionaries, they were being taken away to say that you cannot be like this – a true Christian cannot be playing the mbira, a true Christian cannot be following the ways of the old. 2:11 It went underground, but there were people still playing it, but it was frowned upon. 2:18 When Zimbabwe was getting its independence, they played the mbira at night, you know, when the moon is up. And then they play the mbira to say, we need to talk to our spirits for us to get our land back. This is the land of the ancestors. This is the land which has been stolen from us, from the colonial masters. This is land that was taken away from us. You need to give us the power so that we can defeat the enemy. They were free freedom fighters. 2:51 You know, I'm a product of two diametric spaces. I also went to a Christian boarding school. You know what I mean? So, you always grow up hearing these two opposing forces…but I think the more I grew up, I believe that the mbira is part of my cultural identity. 3:13 Yep, very much so, because even if I listen to the mbira, the rhythm and the sounds, they make sense to me. 3:19 It’s like the mbira has got this calming effect. It's a chilling sound. You know, it's not noisy, but it's just the rhythm. The sound is very ancient. It's very soothing. It's very profound for one to hear it, you know? 3:43 Okay…that's home.