Thursday 3 March 2022 Ela the Garden in Harare in partnership with The Legacy Trust and Mbiravolution will screen My Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean Musician & Farmer, an Aljazeera short documentary on Hector Mugani, directed by Brain Tilley. Mbira-Punk band Chikwata.263 will play a rear acoustic set followed by the screening and then a question-and-answer segment with Hector Rufaro Mugani.

By earGROUND community

The Screening will run under the Mbiravolution project The Mbira Journey.  The project has featured mbira personalities like the late Chiwoniso Maraire, Hope Masike, Mbuya Chiweshe, Radio Dj Sly the founder of the only mbira radio program Dzamagwenyambira and many other mbira players, makers and practitioners.

“Zimbabwe is a lovely country with lovely traditions and mbira being a national tradition that is the pride of Zimbabwe,’” said Eleni Athitaki, “We are always happy as a venue to give it a platform, also the documentary itself is a great work of art and storytelling.”

Chimanimani is a town on Zimbabwe’s eastern edge, below the ridge of mountains that separates the country from Mozambique. Hector Rufaro Mugani is native to this region and describes himself as a countryman.

Hector is one of many from the villages who left home to try and make a living in the capital, Harare. However, COVID-19, forced him back to his roots. After dropping his agronomy studies, he returned to work on the farm.

Now, Hector is exploring a life that combines his passions – farming and music. He has cleared a field and planted macadamia nut trees while he works with a handful of mbira players and some Zimbabwean dance hall bands and scours the region for new acts he can promote in Harare.

The Documentary follows Hector as he travels the region searching for new musical talent while also working on his personal backroom project to develop the first full electric mbira, which he hopes will breathe new life into Zimbabwean traditional music.

“The story is a very inspiring story it is good to have a screening with Hector present, to ask questions and get more insight, it is a screening to look forward to” said Joe Jangu an award winning film producer.

Hector Rufaro Mugani is a mbira player and ethnomusicologist. He is the cofounder of the Mbiravolution an organisation that is instrumental in the development of mbira- the instrument and the music. He is a founding member of the mbira-punk band Chikwata.263.

As a mbira player he has played and toured to Algeria with Rute Mbangwa and Jazz Sensation, He Has recorded with reggae crooner Mannex Motsi, He has also done live sound for several musicians mostly the jazz and mbira musicians in Zimbabwe.

In the past Hector works for Pamberi Trust and Book Café as a youth Development Manager. Where he worked with a lot of young musicians and artist grooming them.

He also worked for Chimanimani arts festival as the Assistant festival director.

Mbiravolution

Mbiravolution {Mbira+ rEvolution = Mbiravolution} founded in 2012 is a community of mbira players, researchers, makers and lovers, coming collectively for the enhancement of the mbira instrument and music to fashion mbira ‘Transfiguration and Permanence!

The Mbira is a unique instrument to Zimbabwe which is played in diverse contexts such as religious, social and commercial. One of our core objectives is to ensure that this instrument gets more exposure and that its relevance in the mainstream cultural heritage of Zimbabwe is noticed and understood.

It is the hope of Mbiravolution that the dream of A Mbira For Every Child™ will one day be realised.