Musician Miriam Lishomwa, popularly known as Amadhuve Sasha in the arts circles, believes mbira music will to be the next big genre in Zimbabwe. With a reverberating voice that evokes memories of accomplished and internationally-renowned composers, as well as performers such as Mbuya Stellah Chiweshe, Sasha’s appeal and dominance in mbira music continues to rise.
With nine tracks and an eight-track album — Mutsindo — to her name, Sasha said the love of mbira music had taken centre-stage, dispelling the myth that was created by colonialists that tradition is evil. The writer, player and performer, who has been holding shows regularly across the country, said her choice of music transformed to mbira when she realised the genre was rooted in the reality of black people’s lives, adding that mbira and drums have always been integral in evoking African spirits.
“I am impressed with the direction our traditional music is taking. It is going to be the next big genre, mark my words. The greatest thing about it is that it promotes the spread of love among ourselves, while it also uplifts the spirit of Ubuntu,” Sasha said in interview with NewsDay Life & Style this week.
With her widely received tracks such as Machinda, Nehanda, Unplugged, Nzira DeMusango, Dzaiva Shungu Dzangu, among other Songs, making waves, the mbira maestro said she had managed to attract international audiences and potential partners for collaborative projects in the near future.
“To make my journey easier and successful, I have managed to work with different local artistes on some of the songs I produced. These include Peter Moyo, Progress Chipfumo and Diana Sakange. Beyond these, quite a number of international promoters and sponsors have expressed willingness to work with me. I just hope this will come to fruition because we have been holding several negotiations to seal collaborative deals and these are at an advanced stage now.”
Sasha says she fell in love with music when she was Doing Grade 5, singing in an apostolic church. As she progressed in the music industry, she teamed up with five other artistes to form a group named Talking Guitars that specialised in doing cover versions of yesteryear hits. In 2015, the musician went solo and released an Afro-fusion track tited “2 Timer”.
However, inspired by late renowned musicians Mbuya Stellah Chiweshe, Mbuya Madhuve and Chioniso Maraire, Sasha decided to venture into mbira music, where she claims her heart now belongs.
Sasha also credited her husband and family members for keeping her dream in the music sector alive.
“My husband Peter Chiedzo, who is our band manager since 2014, has been the cornerstone of our success as a music ensemble. He has been with me from day one, encouraging me and ensuring there is no retreat in this project. His vision is simple: ‘Mbira kuvanhu, Vanhu kumbira’ (Mbira music to the people and People to mbira music). I am also backed by a hardworking team of band members and supportive in-laws, whose input has taken us this far. This solid combination is driven by the desire to take mbira music beyond our borders, to the global stage.”
The musician, who plans to release eight or more video songs this year, said the process was already underway as evidenced by the introduction of new songs such as Tinotenda and Mutonga at her live shows.
