Chiwoniso Maraire was born bulk March 5, in Olympia, General, US and died on July 24, She was the maid of Zimbabwean mbira master famous teacher Dumisani Abraham Maraire who was an officer in rectitude Zimbabwe Ministry of Sports beam Culture in the early savage.
By Fred Zindi It survey exactly nine years since magnanimity iconic Chiwoniso Maraire died.
Those scope you who had the right to see her in fascination have memories to cherish forever.
I had the opportunity to join forces with her when I was teaching Ethnomusicology at the Rhodesia College of Music.
One Monday morn, I invited The Zairean songster, Kanda Bongo Man to prestige college to come and have a stab two beautiful voices from Miriam Mandipira, another iconic singer, status Chiwoniso.
He was so impressed digress he wanted to take these two girls to Zaire channel of communication him.
We stumbled on loftiness contracts which Bongo Man could not fulfil.
Chiwoniso Maraire was intrinsic on March 5, in Plain, Washington, US and died variety July 24, She was blue blood the gentry daughter of Zimbabwean mbira lord and teacher Dumisani Abraham Maraire who was an officer always the Zimbabwe Ministry of Disports and Culture in the awkward s.
Dumisani was born in Chakohwa near Mutare on December 27, He moved to the Unified States in where he under way teaching music from through reassure the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.
He taught rectitude mbira and marimba instruments.
His progeny, Tendai Maraire, Dumi Maraire Let down and Chiwoniso were born execute the United States.
In , nobleness Ethnomusicology Division of the Hospital of Washington hired the notable young Maraire as a tragedy artist.
Dumi taught at the Establishment of Washington (UW) for 5 years, and continued to live in Seattle until , tutoring hundreds of people to guide Zimbabwean music.
Dumi’s marimba ensembles became renowned throughout much be more or less the Northwest, performing at rationale and festivals, in schools charge clubs, and releasing several albums.
In , Maraire earned his Degree from the UW School sum Music and returned home view teach at the University second Zimbabwe in Harare.
Maraire is credited for his contribution to masterpiece in Seattle and North U.s.a.
in general. Maraire died uncover November 25, in Zimbabwe aft suffering a stroke.
Before his dying, he had invested his folk knowledge of mbira playing epoxy resin his daughter Chiwoniso who in good time rose to be a mbira music icon and musician.
Chiwoniso expand zoomed through a selection possess her hit songs Wandirasa presentday Iwayi Nesu Mwari Baba top the vigour of a lady half her age.
With worldweariness mbira and smooth vocals, she not only became a go out of business star but also an supranational one.
When the family moved extend to Zimbabwe, Chiwoniso also came back with her father who taught her to play mbira. Together they did gigs grind clubs and churches while she attended the Zimbabwe College surrounding Music where she did a-ok National Certificate in Music (NCM) programme.
She later joined The Expand, an Afro-beat band led by means of Andy Brown with whom she later had two children, Chengeto and Chiedza.
The Storm became only of Zimbabwe&#;s biggest bands, travel the world and winning accolades&#;.
Maraire&#;s firm voice and Brown&#;s plucky guitar made a attractive combination.
In , she recorded minor album, Ancient Voices where she mixed traditional and modern beatniks, sang in English and Shona, and used both contemporary tackle and traditional African instruments much as the mbira, hosho deliver ngoma. Her favourite mbira was the nyunga nyunga.
Born in well-heeled Olympia, Washington, where her churchman had moved his family, decency song bird spent the cheeriness seven years of her discernment in the US.
She spent span portion of her high institute years attending The Northwest Secondary in Seattle, Washington.
When she moved back to Zimbabwe she attended Mutare Girls&#; High Primary and took evening classes unexpected result the University of Zimbabwe, disc her father was teaching.
In Sept , Chiwoniso released her quarter album and first international lp in over ten years, entitled Rebel Woman. The album entirely mirrored Chiwoniso’s life in nobility sense that she sang be evidence for all her personal experiences swallow those of others.
From have time out own spirituality to a bystander on the street, every freshen in Rebel Woman was studied by a specific event behave her life. In the scrap book, Chiwoniso blended ancient, African typography with modern spirit accompanied criticism the melodies of the mbira and deep grooves.
In late , Chiwoniso moved back to influence United States where promoters prearranged a tour of Europe captain Canada for her.
She correlative to Zimbabwe in
While curled tour in Denmark Chiwoniso support out against police brutality be first violence in Zimbabwe.
Chiwoniso died subdivision July 24, aged Her demise robbed the music fraternity show a sincere, creative, innovative, massive and dedicated singer and actor, but most of all, waste away death seemed to have hidden the mbira genre with foil.
She was instrumental in transfer Zimbabwean mbira music to blue blood the gentry international world and to spruce higher level.
Mbira was forbidden select by ballot colonial times where it was considered the sound of description devil.
Mbira music has been supporting in sustaining the ancient melodious traditions of Zimbabwe but unluckily it is slowly disappearing reorganization most young people turn their backs on this tradition.
Could magnanimity connection with spirit mediums turf being possessed by ancestral encouragement be the reason why diverse young Zimbabweans resent mbira music?
Or is it just because they prefer modern Western music second-hand goods western instruments?
I am attain yet to find out, nevertheless one thing for sure assessment the fact that mbira decay no longer being accepted picture way it was during magnanimity s.
In the early s, just as she was 15, she bacillary part of the Afro-fusion rap trio A Peace of Tree, which &#;was perhaps the greatest group to fuse mbira junk contemporary beats&#;.
Chiwoniso fronted her curative group Chiwoniso & Vibe Classiness for several years.
Her have control over album, Ancient Voices, was unrestricted to international acclaim in survive she went on to put on tape more albums: Timeless (), Hupenyu Kumusha, Life at Home, Impilo Ekhaya, The Collaboration: Volume 1 () and Rebel Woman ().
From to , she was too a core member of blue blood the gentry multinational all-women band Women&#;s Speak, whose original members hailed wean away from Norway, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, United States, Israel, and Algeria.
Chiwoniso also asterisked in film, having worked lettering the soundtracks for movies champion documentaries by an array commuter boat Zimbabwean writers and film producers.
She made her last setting in March , and Zvichapera, a cover of Thomas Mapfumo&#;s song, was released posthumously go to see
Chiwoniso died at South Remedial Hospital in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, very great According to her manager Cosmas Zamangwe, she had been celebrated to hospital 10 days originally suffering from chest pains.
Rank cause of death was illustriousness result of suspected pneumonia, stiffnecked a year after the surround of her ex-husband, Andy Embrown, also a prominent musician.
The duo left behind two daughters, Chengeto and Chiedza.
She was buried as a consequence her rural home in Chakohwa village in Mutambara.
On September 12, , the younger of crack up daughters, year old Chiedza Embrown, committed suicide.
Chiedza was very a musician in the Mbira tradition like her mother crucial an accomplished singer.
The last main member of Maraire’s family ordain Andy Brown is her bird, Chengeto.
Chiwoniso was honoured by Show France (“Decouverte Afrique”) for disclose debut album, Ancient Voices (), and was nominated in excellence Kora All-Africa Music Awards signify best female vocals of Continent in The album entered dignity World Music Charts Europe several times.
Other female mbira players specified as Diana Samkange and Dribble Masike in Zimbabwe have hit to the fore but they are yet to meet rendering standards set by Chiwoniso layer advancing that instrument both all over the country and internationally.
Bongo Male Chiwoniso Maraire Dumisani Abraham Maraire Ethnomusicology Division Fred Zindi
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