HARARE - Mbira songbird Chiwoniso Maraire will lead an artists voices discussion at Harare’s Book Café on the topic “Celebrating female mbira players”.

Book Café, in collaboration with Mbiravolution will hold the Wednesday (September 12) evening discussion that will try and answer several burning questions about the role of female mbira players and the genre itself.

Extra–Blessings Kuchera, Pamberi Trust Communications Projects officer who is organising the discussion said the discussion will highlight the significance of the mbira instrument and music in Zimbabwe and beyond.

“It will mainly focus on the emergence of female mbira players and their immense contribution to the development of mbira instrument and music, the music industry and the Zimbabwean community. We should continue to encourage such positive development.”

He said the discussion comes when many Zimbabweans are celebrating September as the mbira month, an initiative by the Mbira Centre, to celebrate and raise appreciation of the mbira.

Apart from Maraire, the speakers for the discussion will include Theresa Muteta, a young female mbira player, music educator and researcher, Hector Rufaro Mugani, an ethnomusicologist and Chikwata 263 mbira player.

Other female mbira players like Hope Masike (currently on a world tour), Onai Mtizva (currently in Namibia) are going to send their presentations on their experiences as female mbira players.

Several women, among them Stella Chiweshe, Beular Dyoko, Patience Chaitezvi, Chiwoniso Maraire, and Hope Masike now play the mbira on local, regional and international platforms where they showcase their work.
 
Meanwhile, Mbiravolution is an initiative to try and bring together a community of mbira players, researchers, makers, academics, lovers to discuss, share and engage each other for the development of the mbira instrument and music.