Month: March 2009

We learned Chigwaya from Endiby Makope.  This is a song that I requested.   He talked first a little bit about the meaning of the song which is played for the njuzu spirits:

Chigwaya is about the bream type of fish (has more bones) http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/african-cichlids/bream/100083.asp for a photo.  Used to bring the mermaid spirits in a ceremony meant for the mermaids.   Deep meaning.  Specially endowed mediums have a mermaid spirit.   They are powerful, often herbalists.  Very clean from living in the water.   There are no male mermaids.

There are specific things that happen in a water ceremony which I won’t relate here. I loved the song immediately.   Endiby is a good teacher. We learned the kushaura easily and then the kutsinhira which had nice subtle highline variations.  We worked hard until dinner learning and singing the words and then after dinner playing hosho and learning a little more of a variation in the kushaura.

I fell asleep after dinner and missed part of this.  I couldn’t sleep the night before and finally got up for coffee at 3:00 a.m.  John and Jim both had really unsettled dreams with high anxiety.  This song became very soothing.  I decided to stay at Bushbaby the next day to practice it and stay with my own water spirit which was responding well to this new song.

Today we learned nhai-baba-nyamaropa-tuning on Nyamaropa tuning from the Shonhai Brothers. Nhai Baba is to call the spirit in prayer.   Alternate words mean scolding someone who is lazy to work in the fields.   The Kushaura is like karigamombe and the kutsinhira like Mahororo.   (To play recording click on the blue highlighted title, the blog might take you to a second screen where you have to click again on the title..best heard with earphones)

Renold taught us the kushaura and Caution the kutsinhira. Erica helped us sort out the basic line. Both are good teachers. Caution seemed really old. Renold brought out fresh water for everyone but we wanted Caution to drink first as he had been teaching in the direct sun.

When we sat with them after lunch to learn the singing, Caution still seemed very old. Erica later said that he and Renold are both fairly young like late 20s or early 30s.

What I noticed as they started teaching the singing is that once they started playing they would just continue on and pretty soon they were both singing and their parts interlocked so beautifully. I will try to record a little of what I learned. We couldn’t record them during the teaching session so I don’t have a good recording of this.

I don’t think they ever quit playing spontaneously together until it was time for dinner. Renold seemed very hungry. Sam always brings out a snack in midafternoon. This time it was fresh cooked corn. We were happy to see Renold enjoy it.

In the evening, we each had a turn playing with Renold and Caution. I was so nervous, I could hardly think of what to play and ended up playing nyamamusango. Renold started playing the kushaura to get me over my really panicked state. Then Denver started the hosho so I could enjoy without worrying about a mistake. I could start feeling the energy of the music coming from both sides as I was in the middle. Caution is from a village and is more traditional. I could feel that tradition seeping into me.

Being hard on myself, I went to bed thinking I could never learn songs for 14 days. I couldn’t even remember Nhai Baba.

I got up early the next morning and sat on the porch deciding to play mbira as a prayer to my mbira playing and praying for the courage to learn all these days and to fulfill my mission in Zimababwe, whatever that was to be.

While I was playing Caution walked through to the bath house and back and then he came out and sat down and asked what I had been playing so he picked up the mbira (which was mavembe) and played exactly what I had just played. He looked so young in that moment with a big smile. Renold came and listened and someone supplied him with a mavembe and he started playing around what Caution was playing.

I was so touched by their playing. They are like two voices from one spirit. Caution said that I could come to their village to learn and called me Amai and then mom.

This song nhai-baba-nyamaropa-tuning is one of my favorite from the camp and from all the songs I play. Eyal gave each of them a little gift partly of seeds. So I went to bring them each a bag of trail mix to take with them. Caution gave it to Renold as I think he lives in the city and has less food.

I hope to learn again from these two. They are lovely humans and good teachers. They are fabulous musicians. I can’t wait for the new recording of their playing.

Long trip indeed. Portland to Minneapolis–2 plus hours. Short trip no problems checking luggage. Security must have relaxed in the new days of Obama though maybe if you are headed out of the country, white, and older than 60 no one really cares about  assessing your potential.

With no trouble I found my new gate. I was soon on a 747 on my way to Amsterdam. My earlier feeling of going through the birth canal while heading to the Portland Airport had dispersed. Fortunately I had spent time with Nick and Megan on Sunday. They kept me busy. Trev took me to the airport and made a last minute dash to Portland Teacher’s Credit Union (now OnPoint) to get 1 dollar bills as there is very little change in Zimbabwe. I am happy that I did. Trev suggested $50. Good guess, Trev.

All of time sequences will be confused here as I am trying to text message from my phone to Nick so he can post to the blog. My e-mail doesn’t work from here near Arcturus, Zimbabwe. My call would be $4.99 a minute even if the reception were good.

While I am gazing at the night walls here at Bushbaby lodge, I am noticing the wall decorations, different sized spiders that seem like they belong to the wall and yet they move around. And yes, Rosalie, I saw one the size of a minidisc. At first I thought you were exaggerating. Ha!

Thanks to the spiders in the daylight basement in Ashland, including hobo and Black Widow spiders, I have come to accept these lovely weavers into my life. Though thanks for the warning, Rosalie, so I could call these night dwellers the weavers that they are and not call them “fear.” I will bring home photos to share.

I have many more impressions from airports, Amsterdam, Nairobi, and Harare and of the wild ride thought the roads to Bushbaby lodge making 4 lanes out of 2. This reminded me of the sometimes wild rides in Europe that Trev’s dad and I took in 1971. Without Jim’s stellar driving, I wouldn’t be in Africa today.

I do believe that the trip will be life changing.

Cathy picked me upat the Harare airport  and I gave her the most grateful hug imaginable.  Jan, the owner is not back from a trip to Kenya.  He is a soil scientist working for the UN. He travels extensively in sometimes dangerous areas to help set up projects that support growing crops.  Cathy is his partner at Bushbaby.

Riding was a little hairy.  Steering wheels are on the right. We drive on the left side of the road. The stop lights are out so every man/woman for himself/herself at an intersection.  On the country roads, pedestrians and school children scatter as the vehicle plows forward.  There are 2 designated lanes of traffic but someone wanting to pass might tailgate and eventually carve out a new lane down the middle.  There are potentially 4 lanes, one might be in the gutter.  Help.  Cathy is a good driver so I didn’t feel like crawling on the floor and hiding my head though a little quick on the passing.  I was happy that all the pedestrians had good karma.

Sent from my iPhone

The posted schedule for the 2 weeks in Zimbabwe are as follows.

Feb 14 Patience talks on Shona Culture and teaches hosho and dancing.
Feb 15. Renold and Caution Shonai teach N’hai Baba
Feb 16 practice day and walk
Feb 17 Gift Rushinbwa Shumba in Nimutimu style. Gandanga
Feb 18 practice day–to town
Feb 19 Newton Gwara teaches Mbirimo
Feb 20 Practice day prepare for trip to Dzivaguru
Feb 21 Leave early for Dzivaguru
Feb 22 Leonard Chiyanike teaches a special version of Nyama musango
Feb 23. Practice day
Feb 24 Endiby Makope teaches Chigawaya
Feb 25 Trip go Chinoyi (Patience’ town)
Feb 26 Frank and Mose Mude teach a version of Nhemamusasa
Feb 27 Practice day email gift shopping
Feb 28 Last day mbira party which includes all of the above plus Tute Chigamba, Irene Chigamba, Fradeck Mujuru, Sam Mujuru, and Endiby and Patience’ brother Kelvin and of course, Denver.