Stella Chiweshe
Stella Chiweshe, also known as Stella Rambisai Chiweshe, Stella Rambisai Chiweshe Nekati, or Stella Nekati Chiweshe, born July 8, 1946 in the village of Mujumi Village in Zimbabwe, is a Zimbabwean musician. She is internationally known for her singing and playing the mbira, a traditional instrument of the Shona people. She is one of the few women playing this instrument, and has helped to publicize this instrument.
Stella Chiweshe Rambisai learns to play the mbira, a 22-inch thumb piano, in the 1960s, when it was banned from playing this instrument by the colonial regime and while women did not usually play it: “From that I heard it, the sound of the instrument never left me again. I had to play it. At first, I was not even allowed to walk with a mbira and I had to borrow to make my music. During the ceremonies, I had to sit on the men’s side, which contravened the practices of the time. “. The technique is transmitted to him by members of his family then by other masters. She is gradually admitted to traditional ceremonies. The first single she records, Kasahwa, becomes a gold record. In 1979, Zimbabwe became independent. From 1981 to 1985, she became a member of the National Dance Company of Zimbabwe as a mbira soloist, singer and dancer. From 1985, she embarked on a solo career. She multiplies the tours, on different continents, Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. She plays many times in Germany and also participates in the WOMAD festival (notably in 1994 in the United States, in 1995 in Australia, and in 2006 in Spain), recording notably on the German label Piranha Muzik. It uses traditional instrumentation, and others using synthesizers and electric guitars.
She is the author of a play, Chiedza. She is also involved with the non-governmental organization Mother Earth Trust. In 1989, she also performed in I Am the Future, a film by filmmaker Godwin Mawuru, about a young woman who travels to the big city to escape the war of independence in rural areas.