Stella Chiweshe (ZW) at Huset-kbh

Her Majesty - The Queen of Mbira music from Zimbabwe - like Stella Rambisai Chiweshe is affectionately called, is the first female artist who gained in prestige and has been honored with recognition in a music tradition that's been dominated by men: in Mbira music - known as the backbone of Zimbabwean music. The mbira consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard and is usually placed inside a gourd resonator (deze). The keys are played with the two thumbs plucking down and the right forefinger plucking up.

She is one of the few musicians in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, who since more than 40 years is working in the role of traditional Mbira musician. She is a well respected and important woman in the music business too, where bands perform at festivals, in theatres, churches, schools, community halls as well as in families homes for their ancestors. She set an example for the rest of the women musicians in Zimbabwe. She is a professional artist, in the entertainment industry and in the international music circuit. In Zimbabwe, she released more than 20 singles of Mbira music of which her first single Kasahwa went gold in 1975. ...

read more

Her Majesty - The Queen of Mbira music from Zimbabwe - like Stella Rambisai Chiweshe is affectionately called, is the first female artist who gained in prestige and has been honored with recognition in a music tradition that's been dominated by men: in Mbira music - known as the backbone of Zimbabwean music. The mbira consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard and is usually placed inside a gourd resonator (deze). The keys are played with the two thumbs plucking down and the right forefinger plucking up.

She is one of the few musicians in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, who since more than 40 years is working in the role of traditional Mbira musician. She is a well respected and important woman in the music business too, where bands perform at festivals, in theatres, churches, schools, community halls as well as in families homes for their ancestors. She set an example for the rest of the women musicians in Zimbabwe. She is a professional artist, in the entertainment industry and in the international music circuit. In Zimbabwe, she released more than 20 singles of Mbira music of which her first single Kasahwa went gold in 1975.

After Independence, she was invited to become a member of the original National Dance Company of Zimbabwe, where she soon took the part of a leading Mbira Solo player, dancer, and actress. Her Solo work has established herself as one of the most original artists in the contemporary African scene using mbira music to show the depth and power of her traditional spiritual music at home and abroad.

Chiweshe's experience has been stimulating her to introduce Mbira music to the occidental context without losing the relation to her Zimbabwean tradition. Since then she has won several awards in her country. In 2003 the University of Zimbabwe honored her with the Master's Degree in Arts.

The Queen of Mbira, Stella Chiweshe, giver solokoncert i Musikcaféens intime rammer med en ny udgivelse, som giver et unikt indblik i hendes karrieres begyndelse i Zimbabwe.

Stella Chiweshe tog mbira til sig i slutningen af 60'erne hvor hun spillede i ulovlige spirituelle ceremonier under det daværende engelske kolonistyre. For hende er mbira ikke kun et instrument og musiktradition, men et spirituelt medie til at opnå kontakt med ånderne og naturen.

Hun er den første kvindelige musiker som har opnået anerkendelse i den mandsdominerede mbira-musik og anses som et vigtigt kvindeligt forbillede i hjemlandet. Udover musikken har hun også prøvet kræfter som skuespiller, danser og underviser.
Sidste år optrådte hun bl.a. på Le Guess Who? og første udgave af den feministiske festival We Make Waves i Berlin. Den 14. september udgiver hun "Kasahwa" på det prestigefyldte Glitterbeat Records - en samling af hendes tidlige singler fra 70'erne og 80'erne.

En mbira er en såkaldt lamellofon eller "thump-piano", der består af 22-28 metaltangenter placeret på en træplade. Det er blevet brugt af Shona-folket i Zimbabwe i mere end 1000 år i forskellige rituelle sammenhænge og er derfor dybt forankret i den zimbabwiske kultur.

Kom med og oplev verdens muligvis bedste mbira-musiker - et instrument hun har haft med sig i snart 50 år.

show less