KALIMBA MBIRA AFRICAN, in G tuning, finger piano, thumb piano, african instrument, mbira nhare, quality kalimba, unique gift

KALIMBA MBIRA AFRICAN, in G tuning, finger piano, thumb piano, african
instrument, mbira nhare, quality kalimba, unique gift


Expertly handmade by Webster, a popular name in the mbira fraternity.

With its roots from the Southern African region, the mbira, kalimba musical
instrument is believed to have been in existence for more than a thousand years
to this period and more developed in Zimbabwe, particularly among the
Shona-speaking people.

Other variations of mbira were made in Zambia such as karimba, mucapata and
sansa in Tanzania and kalimbe in central Africa. Now, the African instrument is
being produced in European and Asian countries as a thumb piano.

Mbira is more than just an instrument. In Zimbabwe it carries a significant
role in the country’s tradition and culture, and carries a traditional musical
identity.

“Before Africa was colonised, mbira was a medium of communication with God
(Musikavanhu) through spirit mediums. It was played to invite the ancestral
spirits through spirit mediums where people would raise their concerns or pray
to God and the spirit medium ensured the prayers were heard by the Lord. This
ritual was done with the nhare mbira -
Nhare is a Shona word for a telephone, it was named after its role, ‘to call
to the Lord’. said Wilfred Tichaona Mafrika, popularly known as Nyamasvisva
from his musical group ‘Maungira enharira’-Zimbabwe. Source -
southerntimesafrica.com

The same nhare was played at social gatherings as entertainment, at funerals,
during kings’ courts (Matare aMambo) and burials, celebrating the birth of a
child and seasonal family events.

Because of the traditional history of mbira, today people think every mbira
player as a spirit medium, which is not the case. “It does not mean every mbira
player is a spirit medium, if that were the case we would have seen a lot of
foreigners being spirit mediums of African ancestors. It is just like any other
musical instrument like a guitar or a piano and of course because of its
soothing sound can be used for meditation and as background music for yoga
lovers.