Stella Rambisai Chiweshe
Musician
Stella Chiweshe is undoubtedly Zimbabwe’s Queen of mbira and one of the country’s foremost cultural export. Accompanying her swooping vocals on mbira, Stella Chiweshe has taken the traditional Zimbabwean Shona music to the international stage.
Born on the 8th July in 1946 in Mujumi Village in Mhondoro, Stella was taught to play the mbira by her mother’s uncle in the 1960s at a time when it was forbidden for a woman to play the instrument.
Her recording career started with the release of the single “Kasahwa” which achieved gold status after clinching a recording deal with Teal records. In 1979 she formed her own “Earthquake Band” to promote her recordings which were being poorly marketed by the record company.
After Independence, she joined the National Dance Company of Zimbabwe as a Mbira soloist, actress and dancer. With this group, she performed in Mozambique, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, India, China and Korea.
In 1986 she introduced marimba for Mbira music thus pioneering in this field combining mbira with marimba traditional instruments and she took the combination to the international stage.
Her career spanning 40 includes being part of the 1987 Beat Apartheid Road Festival in Germany, while between 1992-93 she toured Greece, Turkey and throughout Europe.
In 1994 she played solo in front of more than 10,000 people at the Womad Festival in North America. In 1998 she was part of the Global Divas” tour in the United States of America.
In 1999 she featured in a collaboration project with the Dimensions Dance Theatre in Oakland (USA) as well as performing at the World Music Festival (Hungary), Kalaka Festival (Slovenia). In 2006 she had Solo concerts in England, Italy, Germany and participated at the WOMAD festival in Caceres/Spain.
Among a host of other Awards, Mbuya Stella Chiweshe won the 1993 Billboard Music Award for the Adult/Alternative/World Music Album of the Year for “Kumusha”. She was awarded the National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) in 2006 for being the most outstanding female artist in Zimbabwe.
In 2020 she was awarded the NAMA Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contribution to the Zimbabwean music sector and her innovativeness that has won her music wide acclaim.
Mbuya Stella Chiweshe is therefore a true legend of the Zimbabwe Cultural and Creative Sector carrying the tag of being the brand ambassador of the Zimbabwean culture recognising her hard work in spreading the Zimbabwean culture across the globe-spanning over 4 decades. — NACZ.
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