Othnell ‘Mangoma’ Moyo Launches Landmark Book Preserving the Matepe Mbira Tradition

HARARE – Renowned Zimbabwean musician, researcher and cultural practitioner Othnell “Mangoma” Moyo has launched his second book, Matepe – The Thunderstorm in the Deze, Echo of the Ancestors, a major contribution to the documentation and preservation of one of Southern Africa’s most significant indigenous musical traditions.

By Plot Mhako

The 180-page publication was officially launched on Saturday, 4 July 2026, during a cultural celebration that brought together some of Zimbabwe’s finest traditional musicians. The launch was marked by a vibrant celebration of Zimbabwe’s living mbira traditions, featuring powerful performances by Tinashe Reason Tirikoti, Aru, Nisha Soko and members of the Mangoma family. The event also welcomed Matepe practitioners from the United States, Jeff Brahe and Zack Moon, reflecting the instrument’s growing international appreciation. Presiding over the musical performances was Chief Goronga from Mudzi District, the event’s principal Matepe player, whose masterful performance underscored the instrument’s enduring cultural and spiritual significance.

Described as a groundbreaking exploration of the Matepe, Heera and Madhebhe mbira traditions of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the book combines autobiography, oral history, ethnography and musical analysis to document one of Africa’s most sophisticated and spiritually significant lamellophone traditions.

Drawing from years of apprenticeship with master musicians, participation in bira ceremonies and extensive field research throughout the Zambezi Valley, Moyo presents the Matepe not only as a musical instrument but as a vital expression of spirituality, identity and cultural memory.

The publication explores instrument construction, tuning systems, rhythmic structures, ceremonial functions, regional histories, spirit possession and the broader family of African lamellophones. It also includes transcriptions of 30 Matepe songs and variations, presented in chart form to support musicians, students and researchers studying the tradition.

Beyond its musical analysis, the book challenges long-held colonial narratives surrounding African music while highlighting indigenous knowledge systems that have sustained the Matepe tradition across generations. Through personal stories, archival research and community voices, Moyo positions the instrument as a living archive of history, cosmology and ancestral knowledge.

The book’s foreword is written by celebrated Madhebhe mbira master Kuda Nyaruwabvu of Mutoko, who describes the Matepe as “far more than a musical instrument.”

“It is a repository of history, a vessel of spirituality, a keeper of ancestral memory, and a living expression of the cultural identities of communities across Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, and beyond,” writes Nyaruwabvu.

He adds that the publication serves musicians, researchers, students, cultural practitioners and lovers of African music alike by inviting readers to engage deeply with both the instrument and the communities that continue to preserve its legacy.

For Moyo, research and documentation remain central to his artistic practice. Alongside performing in Zimbabwe and internationally, he has spent decades travelling through rural communities documenting traditional music, dance and visual arts. His work has expanded beyond Zimbabwe to Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and West Africa, creating an extensive archive intended to educate and preserve African cultural heritage for future generations.

Matepe – The Thunderstorm in the Deze, Echo of the Ancestors is Moyo’s second published work, following his 2018 book, Zimbabwean Ngoma/iNgungu Rhythms and Songs.

The publication is expected to become an important resource for African music scholarship, ethnomusicology and cultural preservation, offering rare insight into one of Southern Africa’s oldest and most enduring musical traditions.