Mbende, also known as jerusarema, has been designated an official form of intangible human heritage by UNESCO. Mbende songs typically move between alternating sections of contrasting musical material, and features a distinctive makwa pattern played on wooden clappers. This example of jerusarema features participants at a kurova guva ceremony held in Zengenene village, in the rural district of Murewa. Commonly performed the year following a family member’s death, the ritual of kurova guva transforms the spirit of the deceased into a mudzimu ancestor.
