. . . Government designates September as Mbira Month as festival prepares to honour Zimbabwe’s living heritage
By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
HARARE — The 3rd edition of the Bira reMbira Festival will take place on Friday, 25 September 2026 at Glamis Arena, Harare, the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture has announced.
The festival, which runs from 10am until 6am the following morning, is free to the public and forms part of Zimbabwe’s Mbira Month — a Government-designated period dedicated to the preservation, celebration and promotion of the mbira and its associated cultural practices.
Announcing the event in a press release issued on 21 September 2026, Ministry Secretary Mr Nicholas Moyo said the festival has grown into “an important annual celebration of Zimbabwe’s culture and heritage.”
“This year’s edition will be held under the theme: ‘Roots to Markets – Empowering Makers, Players and Markets,'” Moyo said.
The Bira reMbira Festival provides a platform that brings together Zimbabweans and friends of Zimbabwe through the mbira — an instrument of profound cultural significance that was inscribed by UNESCO in 2020 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A Day of Music, Culture and Heritage
The 2026 edition will feature a diverse programme bringing together established and emerging mbira musicians, with particular attention given to the participation of the next generation through performances by Primary and Secondary School Mbira Ensembles, as well as young creative collectives such as Jaka Arts.
The festival will also feature a vibrant exhibition showcasing mbira instruments, the national fabric, herbs and medicinal plants, indigenous foods and other expressions of Zimbabwe’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.
Honouring a Legend
This year’s edition will pay special tribute to the late Ambuya Stella Chiweshe, one of Zimbabwe’s foremost mbira practitioners and cultural ambassadors.
The festival will honour her through dedicated performances of her songs in a commemorative segment highlighting her influence on contemporary mbira practice.
Free for All
The Ministry has emphasised that the festival will be free to the public as part of activities marking Zimbabwe’s Mbira Month.
“The Bira reMbira Festival is more than a celebration of music. It is a platform through which Zimbabwe’s stories, traditions, spirituality, values and identity are expressed, preserved and transmitted from one generation to another,” Moyo said.
The Bira reMbira is organised by Chipaz Promotions, Jive and Diana Samkange in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe.
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