Avenues of Jacarandas...

The Streets of Harare, Zimbabwe

THE VIBE CULTURE: ECHOES FROM THE STEEL AND WHEEL INSTRUMENT - A Tribute to Chiwoniso Maraire



Gone too soon - Chiwoniso Maraire

On Wednesday the 24^th of July 2013, Zimbabwe woke up to the sad news of the passing of a much loved woman in the country’s music circles. It was the shocking death of Chiwoniso Maraire. Those who knew her quite well called her Chichi.

Only last year, I did a collection of Chiwoniso Maraire’s music. I did not appreciate Chiwoniso that much until in early 2010 when I listened to her song on the album Famba Zvakanaka: Safe Journey by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a collaboration project of prominent local artists that sought to address the issues of illegal migration and the risks of HIV/AIDS at the height of Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis. Since then, I have been a follower of Chiwoniso. I have appreciated her talented voice and the richness she brought to the platform each time she took to the stage. It was easy for Chiwoniso to become one of my top favourite artists. Her death is devastating. No more new stuff from Chiwoniso! It is true that sometimes we do not realise just how much important someone is, and the beauty of what they give us until they are gone. I have known of this, but I have certainly been reminded. A tribute to her is in order.

 

There is something about Chichi’s music, something about her love affair with mbira that stood out. Her music was filled with spirituality and spoke to the African soul, more so to the Zimbabwean soul. She was just as spiritual in her performance as the mbira instrument is to the African. With her group, The Vibe Culture, Chiwoniso changed the face of mbira music trotted on untraveled routes leaving a remarkable trail of excellence and progression.

She had a spiritual connection with mbira that was soul-searching

Whilst the mbira or thump piano instrument is found in many places across Africa, with some of its names being mbila, likimbe, zanzu and karimbao, the mbira culture is strongest in Zimbabwe. Chiwoniso and the Vibe Culture sustained that culture and ushered its breakthrough in contemporary modern stage and studio performance. According to Chiwoniso, she played a type of mbira called the mbira nyunga nyunga. Traditionally only men were allowed to play mbira in Zimbabwe. Chichi turned the tables around and challenged that patriarchal system, and made a name for herself for playing mbira, the wheel and steel instrument. That was a solid role on its own that Chichi played in the feminist movement. But that was only as far as challenging this traditional system was concerned. Substantively, her music took this role further. She sang of liberation, child protection, women emancipation and raised her voice to bring awareness about the suffering that people went through at home.  

On her remarkable discography, Chiwoniso left us with the masterpiece albums Ancient Voices, Timeless, Rebel Woman, and Hupenyu Kumusha, Life at Home, Impilo Ekhaya: The Collaboration Volume 1, which she did with her colleagues. She also had her song Rebel Woman featured on the international compilation Listen to the Banned, which features the music of banned, censored and imprisoned artists from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. To date, Ancient Voices is perhaps Zimbabwe’s best known album internationally, and the album made her a star on the world music scene. No doubt, those who will take time to open their ears and listen to her voice and words will easily see why she became a world star. My personal favourites from her are Nhemamusasa, Wandirasa and Listen to the Breeze.

 

Very few of us will forget her role in some of the first local films to hit our screens. “Mudiwa Tamari, eh my darling Tamari!” That was in the movie Everyone’s Child, directed by the talented Tsitsi Dangarembga and produced by Jonny Persey. Everyone’s Child also emerged in the same film as a soundtrack from Chichi. Her involvement in this and many other films speaks of the role she was constantly playing in fighting societal ills, which almost always was the focus of all the film projects she has been involved in.

I was in Harare recently and had planned to watch Chiwoniso perform. I could not have known that by not fulfilling my plans I had forfeited my last opportunity to see Chiwoniso live on stage. The stages at the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA), Book Café, Jazz 105 and many other platforms and joints where music and art lovers conglomerated, local and abroad, will never be the same again. The void shall be felt.

Among her many exploits, Chichi will be remembered for her role in exporting Zimbabwe’s music to the far lands of the West and East.

As one commentator noted on twitter, Chiwoniso Maraire brought glitz and glamour to the mbira genre. Through her playing of the mbira instrument, many young people were inspired to play the mbira in modern and contemporary fashion. Her use of both the Shona language and English made the mbira genre all the more interesting, adapting it to modern times and making mbira music go international. With Chiwoniso, we saw mbira being fused the modern instruments, producing a blend of sound that made her unique in her own way. She started a trend and laid a foundation for upcoming musicians to follow her and develop the genre.

The Vibe Culture on stage

Many had thought that the departure of Stella Chiweshe from active performance on the local scene was a death to the kind of sound she had created with mbira, but Chiwoniso emerged and took it further, adding flair to it. So we had contemporary mbira grooves led by Chiwoniso on the one hand, and the traditional all-male mbira outfits led by Mbira dzeNharira, Mbira dzeChirorodziva and Maungira Enharira on the other. May the likes of Dudu Manhenga and Hope Masike carry Chiwoniso’s work forward. May they take contemporary mbira music to another level. That will be a befitting tribute to Chichi, the queen of mbira music.

I cannot help but agree with Selmor Mtukudzi; “Hameno Mwari band rakapenga ravarikugadzira kudenga uko, because it seems he is only picking the most gifted artists”. (God must be assembling a great band up there in heaven because it seems he is only picking the most gifted artists). It is celebrations in the heavens I guess, but to us left behind, it pains. “….So if I cry it’s only because I don’t know what to do.” I am reminded of Jah Prayzah’s lines in his 2012 collaboration with Chiwoniso, Mhiriyo; “Baba vatonga zvapera. Izwi radana zvakwana.” (The Lord has ruled, it is over). Zvachioniso zvapera! Chiwoniso will be greatly missed.

Musa Kika

Durban, July 2013

A sterling contribution to youth development

From his days as a head boy at primary school to overseeing the launch of the Dr Timothy Stamps Trust on Chronic Conditions last month, the 23-year-old has shown immense leadership skills and a passion to emancipate youth.

Musa Kika is currently recognised
as one of South Africa's brightest young minds.

by Chris Ncube

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The youngster served as a child parliamentarian and Child Minister of Transport and ommunications in Zimbabwe’s Junior Parliament (2007-2009), founded the Dzivaresekwa-Mabelreign Child Safety Committee, co-founded the Dr Timothy J. Stamps T
rust on Chronic Conditions where he serves Programmes Coordinator, become a member of the Young People’s Network on HIV/AIDS & Sexual Reproductive Health for Harare Province, co-founded the UKZN Student Law Review and recently represented his country at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association’s Law Students Conference seventh Session of the Conference of Youth on Climate Change held at the sidelines of the COP17 meeting in Durban.

In a recent interview with The Zimbabwean, Kika said his passion for empowering youth came after he realised Zimbabwe was in need of development-oriented, innovative and forward looking leaders.
“Young people are the greatest hope the continent has to combat the vices we face today. Investing in young people is building a firm foundation for Africa, especially so in the areas that haunt Africa the most – governance and development,” he said.

“As a young person, I realised that the few talents and abilities I have are better used in the service of the community that I come from, in this case being Zimbabwe and my continent at large. I am inspired by individuals who, in the face of adversity and skepticism, have remained principled.”
The number of hurdles he has encountered over the years have not quenched his passion and drive.
“The challenges I have faced are the very same vices I am fighting: lack of resources, general complacence and lack of motivation to change circumstances for the better.” Kika’s efforts have not gone unnoticed internationally. In 2011, non-governmental organisation, Brightest Young Minds, rated him among the 100 brightest young minds of South Africa. He is currently affiliated to the Brightest Young Minds as an alumnus and is recognized as a Vice Chancellor’s Scholar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the highest academic honour he has received yet.

 

Published in The Zimbabwean, Harare, 03 July 2013
http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe/66618/a-sterling-contribution-to-youth.html

NEW JOURNAL TO ASSIST LAW STUDENTS HONE WRITING SKILLS

UKZN Online Volume: 7 Issue: 31

http://enewsletter.ukzn.ac.za/Story.aspx?id=149&storyid=2014

 

 

The Law Review Team:
Pic 1 Howard College Team from left - right, top: Londiwe Goba, Tafadzwa Chiposi, Musa Kika; bottom, Ntokozo Qwabe, Aidean Ross, Lavanya Pillay
Pic 2 Pietermaritzburg Team (left - right); Tafadzwa Dhlakama, Carol Maseka, Ntokozo Mamela, Phumla Tom, Amin Matola.

 

Law students have created a vehicle to sharpen their academic writing skills following the recent launch of a journal titled: The UKZN Student Law Review.

 

The journal will feature articles, case notes and book reviews written by undergraduate and postgraduate law students from both the Pietermaritzburg and Howard College campuses.

The articles will focus on various aspects of the law including developments in law and analyses of landmark decisions which substantially impact on the implementation and enforcement of the Constitution, adherence to the rule of law and the promotion of social change through amendments to the law.

 

The team of students driving this innovative idea are Mr Ntokozo Qwabe, Mr Musa Kika, Ms Tafadzwa Chiposi, Ms Londiwe Goba, Ms Aideen Ross, Mr Tafadzwa Dhlakama, Ms Carole Maseka, Ms Phumla Tom, Mr Amin Matola, Ms Ntokozo Memela and Ms Lavanya Pillay.

Kika, a third year LLB student, said the development of the journal was motivated by the need for students to have an outlet for their contribution to legal debates which shape their constitutional democracy and South Africa’s legal system.

 

‘We have noted the absence in our Law School of a platform which allows our students exposure to academic writing outside the classroom, yet law itself is a writing profession and sound writing skills are vital. We aim to develop independent research and writing skills among students - essential aspects which have been criticised for being inadequate in the LLB programme in its current structure,’ said Kika.

 

Mr Qwabe reiterated the call for students to submit papers saying: ‘Not only will this enrich their research and writing skills, it will also make them marketable for employment and other exciting opportunities available to law students.’

 

Law academic, Ms Lee Stone, said the journal would be a useful tool to develop and groom the students as legal professionals, scholars and academics.

 

‘The journal articles that are received from students will be published on the School of Law website. We envisage that we will eventually move towards publishing print copies of the Law Review once we have secured funding for this. Students are invited and encouraged to submit contributions to the Law Review through the Call for Papers which has been distributed by e-mail to each student and is also contained on the Law Review webpage,’ she said.

 

To view the call for papers and articles follow this link: http://law.ukzn.ac.za/Student-Law-Review.aspx

 

THERE WAS A MAN. HIS NAME WAS CHINUA ACHEBE

“While we do our good works, let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary” Chinua Achebe (Anthills of the Savannah, 1987)

 

I was doing my A’ levels in Harare when I first came into contact with Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. His 1987 novel, Anthills of the Savannah, was a set book in the African list, along with Tsitsi Dangarembga’s She No Longer Weeps, Paul Freeman’s Rumours of Ophir, and We killed Mangy Dog and other Mozambican Stories. I enjoyed English literature so much, it was my favourite subject, and of these works, Anthills of the Savannah stood out.  I cannot help but move back in time at the thought of this, and be filled with the nostalgic reminiscence of those literature classes and seminars back at St Johns High School in Emerald Hill. I especially remember the academic debates with my talented friends, that were almost always about politics and literature, and the latter almost always centred on Anthills of the Savannah and the many intellectually stimulating themes it brought; gender, African governance, African tradition, Western education, myths, among many others. Very few of my time would forget how studying Anthills of the Savannah made the study of literature a pleasure. It made the study of literature go beyond an intellectual appreciation of words craftsmanship. This African piece spoke to the heart and soul, more so being an African myself.

Since then, I have grown to like Chinua Achebe. I have read his other works. I quote them many a times. Since then, I have not regarded Professor Achebe as a mere writer. He became an icon to me, an icon for the very themes his work brought up, and the agenda he pursued through them. I had already listed Achebe to be amongst the top men I looked up to from the African continent, because of their wisdom, integrity and consistency. Then last night, I learnt of the death of this man. My heart was broken.

In 2011 Achebe was ranked by Forbes as the most influential celebrity in Africa. Professor Achebe was a writer par excellence, an activist of good governance and an academic who did not hesitate to use his talent for the greater good of his people. His novel Things Fall Apart is to date the most widely read book in modern Africa literature. His masterpieces; Arrow of God, A Man of the People, and No Longer at Ease, amongst other works, remain at the heart of many.

 When in the decolonisation period in the 1950s, when academic debate arose on the language of choice in African literature, with writers such as Ngugi waThiong’o arguing that English and other European languages were “part of the neo-colonial structures that repress progressive ideas”, many would not forget Achebe’s defence of the use of the English language in his article “The African Writer and the English Language”. He did recognise the shortcomings of using the language in the African context though. Through this, his books have been able to be read even in the colonial ruling nations. He was supported by the likes of Ghanaian Ayi Kwei Armah who contended that English in now an African language, and African English has been created.

Many would remember where and when his struggle against the misrepresentation of Africa by non-Africans started, in which period he did lectures such as ‘An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”’. Achebe is the man who told the true story of Africa as an African son, gracefully celebrating its virtues, unapologetically attacking the structural wrongs of Africa, and viciously fighting against its misrepresentation by those who know little of it, from across the oceans.

Achebe had an intellectual Afro-centrism, one that took pride of who he was yet in no denial of the challenges that surround our beloved continent. This manifestly resonated in his works. One could see traditional African wisdom, packaged for modern day consumption. In no other works have I seen African oral tradition, folk stories, proverbs and oratory so succinctly infused with modern academic intellectualism to produce fine art of the highest octane value for Africa and beyond. I totally loved this in his novels.  He realised his role was not merely to highlight the challenges of Africa, but suggest solutions in remedial thereof. His works are pregnant with patently African solutions to African problems. As a writer, Achebe was not writing from a detached position. He had seen and experienced the things he wrote. He wrote about a people he was a part of. The credibility of his works is therefore not questionable.

For me, Achebe was an icon as he captured the sense of pride in his identity, the desire for growth and development, and the principles of accountability and just governance. He was an epitome of how we all ought to use our talents and play our part in our struggle for social justice, peace and development. During the 1970s, Achebe did involve himself in political parties but soon resigned out of frustration over the rampant corruption and elitism he witnessed in those few years. To this day, as a man of principle, Achebe refused to be corrupted by those in power as evidenced by his legendary rejection of the National Honour by the Nigerian government, twice; at first in 2004 because of the rampant corruption, intolerance and poor governance in Nigeria, and for the second time in 2011 because nothing had changed from the time he rejected the first offer to the time he was offered for the second time. The National Honour is Nigeria’s highest honour. True to his own word; “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised”.

"The Mandela of Literature" - The Daily Telegraph

I still have Achebe’s works on my reading list, and I will read them. As I read, I will remember that this is a legacy left to us by one of the greatest minds to ever grace the African continent. I will remind myself of a life well lived. I will reflect on what has changed from the time he put down his concerns to paper, in an artistic way, to the present. For this and other sons and daughters of Africa who spent their lives fighting for social justice and the just governance of men through their works, we who have been left behind have a duty. Ours is a task, just like in any other struggle waged, to ensure that the work of the pioneers is carried forward, and that the achievement of the ideals that these people stood for, become the greatest tribute we can ever give to them. Achebe was a hero, I will call him a freedom fighter. He called himself a storyteller, and he waged battle at his own level through his chosen career, where his talent lay. He continued to do this in academic exile, in Boston, where he finally made his death.

“Storytellers are a threat. They threaten all champions of control, they frighten usurpers of the right-to-freedom of the human spirit – in state, in church or mosque, in party congress, in the university or wherever” - Chinua Achebe.

Indeed even at the time of his death, at the time of our loss, this will strengthen us; we are but like the anthills of the savannah that survive to tell the new grass of the savannah about last year’s bush fires. We will not be broken in spirit, but will survive with those bruises, for the generations to follow to see that here a great battle was fought, and for them to take over and fight against injustice and for the African renaissance. 

Chinua Achebe illuminated the path for Africa writers; rightly described as one of the continent’s towering men of letters. The great Igbo man from Nigeria has left us. African has borne the loss. Rest in eternal peace the father of African literature. Our children will live to read your works in generations to come. It is a legacy left to us, one that we will cherish.

Musa Kika

Durban, South Africa

23 March 2013