Track 4 Hwahwa ndichahuregera
Traditional Chimurenga song, arranged by Matimba, performed by Harare
Marimba, hosho, vocals and keyboard: Matimba
Drums: Silas Chakanyuka
Guitars: Laurence Corns
Bass: Jules Faife
This song comes from the genre of independence songs, Chimurenga, based on Shona mbira music. The title means ‘I shall stop drinking beer’. In Zimbabwe, this is a popular song given at social gatherings where people drink African beer. It describes a man lamenting his excessive and negligent pattern of drinking, announcing that he wants to stop drinking because it has destroyed his soul and body – drinking, he says, makes him so irresponsible that he is very disrespectful of his in-laws. The marimba is the lead instrument in this arrangement, giving an intricate and repetitive rhythm in 6/8.
Matimba entered the BA Music programme at SOAS in Autumn 2004.
