Mbira

The mbira is a set of metal keys mounted on a wooden board, plucked with the thumbs and a forefinger, usually played inside a large gourd resonator that amplifies it and adds the buzz of the shells or bottle caps fixed to it. In Shona practice it is not entertainment: at a bira, the all-night ceremony where the ancestors are called, the mbira is the instrument that does the calling. UNESCO inscribed the craft and playing in 2020, jointly with Malawi.

What you actually see

• The keys and board - metal tines hammered and tuned on a wooden soundboard.
• The deze gourd - the resonator the instrument is played inside.
• The buzz - the shells or caps that give the sound its characteristic rattle.
• The bira - the all-night ceremony the instrument is played for.

When to go

Bira ceremonies happen year round and are arranged by families rather than scheduled publicly. Workshops and concerts run in Harare and Bulawayo. The instrument is played at any season.

Honest expectations

A bira is a family religious ceremony, not a performance, and attending needs an invitation. Tourist performances bear little relation to ceremonial playing. Instruments sold to visitors are often poorly tuned.

Nearby

Harare has workshops and venues, and the tradition runs across Shona country.