The programme on 8 November from 22:00 – 23:00 looks at mbira music and includes mbira groups from Zimbabwe and Thomas Mapfumo, the man who introduced mbira music to the rest of the world.
The programme includes mbira groups from Zimbabwe such as Mbira Dze Narira and the Nyemako Mbira Crew, as well as Monoswezi and other international bands. Big names including Dumisani Maraire and Ephat Mujuru, who first brought traditional mbira music to the US, and, of course, Thomas Mapfumo, who was responsible for the international breakthrough of modern mbira music.
The mbira is an important part of Shona culture. The Shona believe that the mbira allows them to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors and it is used to put a medium into a trance during their traditional ceremonies, called biras. In addition to this traditional function, the instrument has also been used for decades in various forms of popular music in Zimbabwe, and the traditional sounds now enrich the modern forms.
See our programme guide
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