2 languages
Stella Chiweshe
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Stella Chiweshe learned to play the mbira between 1966 and 1969 from her great-uncle, after other teachers had refused a woman. The mbira, a thumb piano with metal tines on a resonating box, belongs to the Shona ceremonies in which ancestors are invoked. In 1974 her single Kasahwa was released, and later she performed a great deal in Europe, especially in Germany. In this way she paved the way for female mbira players.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to Kasahwa and hear how two hands play two interlocking patterns, with a softly rattling sound of shells or bottle caps.
Kasahwa · Stella Chiweshe, 1974
Chachimurenga · Stella Chiweshe, 1989
Chigamba · Stella Chiweshe, 1991
Discography
Studio albums
- 1987Ambuya?
- 2002Talking Mbira: Spirits of Liberation
- 2009Through Mbira
- 2016Ndondopetera
- 2018Ambiance I
- 2018Kasahwa: Early Singles