NYAMASVISVA SUSPENDS MBIRA CLASSES
. . . TURNS TO SOLO VIRTUAL CONCERTS
MAUNGIRA ENHARIRA founder Wilfred “Nyamasvisva” MaAfrica says he has suspended mbira classes due to Covid-19.
The dread-locked nhovapasi mbira player said he will not risk students’ lives by holding classes as this contravenes Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
“Life is difficult for some of us who used to conduct mbira classes for survival when we are not holding shows.
“We are in a situation where safety matters and we have to adhere to the rules of the land to ensure that we are not caught offside.
“I’m one person who respects the authorities and we will resume classes once the situation is ideal for us to do so,” he said.
Asked how he was sustaining his family and band members who look up to him for survival, Nyamasvisva said: “To be honest with you I have been running around to ensure that we make ends meet and one thing for certain is that we don’t know when this thing will end.
“We are likely to live with
this pandemic for a while and what is needed now is for us to have faith in God and our ancestors.
“In my case, I have been holding solo online shows entertaining some of my fans abroad.
“There are individuals who have been sending me some playlists they want and I record and send them back to them in exchange
for money.
“We are now living in an era where one has to really think outside the box to ensure that we survive otherwise we risk starving to death,” he said.
On the welfare of his group members who have no other sources of income, he added: “I have learnt to share with them the little we have, kana tikabata tsuro toita zviripo uyezve tikabata nhoro we do the same.
“I’m sure that those who understand Shona fully understand what I mean by that because we are now in an era where new survival skills are needed.
“What has made the whole situation dire is that we don’t know when this thing will end or stretch to.”
Nyamasvisva who splintered form Mbira DzeNharira under the aegis of Tendai ‘Samaita’ Gahamadze is one of the seasoned mbira players promoting the genre beyond our borders.
Over the years, the genre has lost some of its illustrious sons comprising well travelled mbira player and teacher Cosmos Magaya who succumbed to Covid19 last year.
Other top mbira players who died in recent years comprise David Tafanei Gweshe aka Sekuru Gweshe, Chamunorwa Masomera of Dzivaresekwa based Mushawaparara Mbira Group, Fungai Zata of Zata Zemba Mbira Group, Chiwoniso Maraire, Taku Makifa, Adam Chisvo only but to mention a few.