Mbira Hut Project - Afrika Festival, Hertme, Netherlands - 8 July 2018

This item contains photo documentation of performances by the Spirit Talk Mbira music ensemble that took place on the 8th July 2018 in Hertme, Netherlands, at the Afrika Festival.

This item relates to the PhD research of Chartwell Dutiro at Bath Spa University, the Mbira Hut Project.

Spirit Talk Mbira musicians are:

Chartwell Dutiro
Anna Mudeka
Jori Buchel
Millicent Chapanda
Chris Morphitis
Shorayi Dutiro Robinson
Elmar Pohl

Photos Lia and Paul Majoor, and Ton Maas.

Images are shared with the permission of the individuals in the photos as well as the photographers.

Images may not be shared or redistributed without permission.

Live performance videos of the following songs can be viewed via the links below:

Mavhenenga - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx0fCNxclI0
Mahororo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07-OrGiKCI
Chagamire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG0mA3AjnYQ
Tatenda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CixnqoTopgI
Nhemamusasa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NcpoVHa5ys
Zimbabwe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx9BD8jZVQk
Bukatende - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnGtftlKqls

In the 1980s and 90s, Chartwell Dutiro was one of the most influential members of 'The Blacks Unlimited', the backing band of legendary Thomas Mapfumo. This band was the first to convert the spiritual trance-inducing mbira sounds of the Shona people to the guitar. The mbira is a thumb piano mounted on a gourd. During the struggle for independence, this music became a symbol of resistance and would ultimately form the modern sound of the new Zimbabwe.

Chartwell toured as Mapfumo's arranger all over the world. The music of his own band 'Spirit Talk Mbira' is deeply rooted in Zimbabwe's centuries-old mbira tradition. In 2003 Chartwell made a big impression at Hertme. He now returns with four other mbira players including his son Shorai, and one of the guitarists from that legendary concert at the Afrika Festival 15 years ago.