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Sophia Chese Arts Correspondent
In its campaign to have traditional mbira integrated into the country’s education system, the Mbira Centre in conjunction with the Culture Fund and European Union will today officially launch the ‘Mbira in Schools’ project at The Mbira Centre in Highlands.The initiative is part of the organisations’ aim to promote and preserve the traditional instrument and impart the knowledge of the instrument to generations to come.

In an interview with The Herald Entertainment, the programmes director Albert Chimedza said the launch will see schools, both primary and secondary, receiving sets of the traditional instrument.

“The occasion will see the donation of mbiras to five teacher training colleges specialising in music education, five secondary schools and ten primary schools,” he said.

He said this will be the introduction that will bring a change as students are going to be taught how to play the traditional instrument.

“We believe this will be the start of a transformation in the way we teach mbira in our schools.   The project is aimed at supplying and stimulating the use of the mbira in music education in Zimbabwe,” he said. He also called for all sectors to embrace the initiative for the development of the country since it will not only be of benefit to children but also create employment.

“We believe that the best way to maintain and develop our culture is by making sure that the future generations are exposed to it in formal educational environments from an early age.

“To this end, we have appealed to all sectors of the Zimbabwean society to embrace this cause.  I am glad that Culture Fund and EU heeded our call and demonstrated their belief in our objectives by commissioning the manufacture of a hundred mbiras.

“We are also appreciative of the fact that this commission has created new jobs in the mbira community,” Chimedza said.