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Arts Reporter

A dark cloud engulfed the arts sector yesterday following the death of internationally-acclaimed mbira music queen Mbuya Stella Chiweshe, famed for the revolutionary song “ChaChimurenga”.

Mbuya Chiweshe succumbed to cancer of the brain at her home in Harare.

Born Stella Rambisai Nekati Chiweshe on July 8, 1946 in Mujumi Village, Mhondoro, she was internationally known for her singing and playing of the mbira dzavadzimu, a traditional instrument in Zimbabwe.

Mbuya Chiweshe was a musician, dancer, actress and took on other roles pre and post-independence.

A relative, Rector Kandemiviri ,said she was unwell of late coupled with old age.

“The last time she came kumusha she was saying her days are almost up and as such, she needed to settle back home.”

National Arts Council director Nicholas Moyo described her death as the loss of Zimbabwe’s Queen of Mbira’ and the country’s foremost cultural exports.

“With her swooping vocals on the mbira, she brought traditional Zimbabwean Shona music to the international stage,” he said. Moyo said Mbuya Chiweshe had a career spanning over 40 years with various local and international awards, including the Billboard Music Award (1993), NAMA (2006), NAMA Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) and NAMA Legends Awards (2021).

Diana Samkange said: “Pasi paita rima. Muti mukuru wadonha. My mentor is gone. Rest in Peace Mambokadzi Stella Chiweshe.”

Pastor Charles Charamba said: “As we receive the sad news of the passing on of Mbuya Stella Chiweshe, we salute her for determination to record music at a time when all odds were against female artists.”

Mbuya Chiweshe performed numerous times in Germany and also participated in the WOMAD festival (1994 in the United States, 1995 in Australia, and 2006 in Spain).

In 2004 she toured England with her daughter.  Mbuya Chiweshe was married to Peter Reich, a German national. During the colonial era, Mbuya Chiweshe was risking imprisonment performing at “underground” mbira ceremonies.

Her very first single was done in 1974, “Kasahwa” recorded at Teal Record Company, went gold.

Mbuya Chiweshe trained for stage work for five years from 1981 to 1985 with the National Dance Company of Zimbabwe.

She fused marimba with mbira in 1986, a ground-breaking innovation at the time.

Mbuya Chiweshe is the great grand-daughter of VaMunaka, who was the medium of Tateguru Kaguvi the resistance fighter beheaded by the British.

Not only did she fight the colonial mentality that prohibited and discouraged indigenous worship, mbira and spiritual activities to honour ancestors who pass the prayers to our creator, she also took on gender role reversal by playing the Mbira that was mostly played only by men those days.