Stella Chiweshe is the Queen of Mbira Music, as well as the first female Mbira player to gain recognition on a national or international level. In fact, Chiweshe is nicknamed “Ambuya Chinyakare” (Grandmother of Traditional Music). Check out today's FREE song by her:
Stella Rambisai Chiweshe is one of the few musicians in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, who for more than 35 years has been a traditional Mbira musician. When Zimbabwe was still a Rhodesian colony, Stella secretly was recognized as a Mbira player at forbidden ceremonies. Before independence Mbira instruments had to be kept hidden, because the colonial government had banned the instrument fearing its magical powers.
She is one of the most original artists in the contemporary African scene using popular music to show the deepness and power of her traditional spiritual music at home and abroad. Stella introduces Mbira music to the occidental context without losing the relation to her Zimbabwean tradition: She creates warm dance grooves as well as popular songs always based on Mbira rhythms.
Mbira music, from Zimbabwe, is the basic element of the Bantu Shona culture. The sound of the mbira is the material medium of the culture, made of ceremonies to satisfy religious, healing and spiritual needs. What you hear is not simply what is played as such, but your ear selects the tones to form melodies.
The sound of the mbira will immerse you in the depths of African knowledge of the spirits. Stella Chiweshe, the Mbira Queen of Zimbabwe will take you there:
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