Here, Sekuru Chigamba offers explanations of many songs played on the mbira dzavadzimu. These include many songs from the instrument’s core repertory, several of Sekuru Chigamba’s own original compositions, and a few songs from other Zimbabwean musical genres that have been arranged for the mbira dzavadzimu. Sekuru Chigamba’s explanations often integrate both historical and contemporary song meanings, illustrating how mbira music is reinterpreted in the context of shifting historical and social circumstances.
In the first section on this page, Sekuru Chigamba discusses songs that are part of the mbira’s shared repertory. In the second section, he turns to his own original compositions for the mbira. Click on a song to read Sekuru Chigamba’s account of its meaning. For the original Shona text of Sekuru Chigamba’s explanations, click the “ChiShona” button below.