Forward Kwenda

Forward Kwenda Was Born 5 April 1963 In The Rural Buhera Area Of Zimbabwe An Area Known For Its Fierce Resistance To Colonial Rulers And Respect For Shona Tradition. At The Age Of 10 He Began To Play Ngoma Drums And Hosho Gourd Rattles For His Mother’s Gombwe Rain-Making Spirit. He Was Given The Name «Forward» Because Of His Curiosity About Many Subjects Enthusiastic Involvement In Many Activities And His Singing For Liberation War Freedom Fighters.

By 1985 Forward Was Playing In A Unusually Complex Style - Much To The Amazement Of Master Mbira Players Two And Three Generations His Senior. This Style Was First Recorded In 1985 And 1986 By His American Friend Glenn Makuna Who Dubbed Kwenda The Coltrane Of Mbira.»

Asked About His Experience Of Playing Mbira Forward Responds

«When I Pick Up My Mbira I Don’t Know What Is Going To Happen. The Music Just Goes By Itself Taking Me Higher And Higher Until I Can End Up Crying Because The Music Is So Much Greater Than A Human Being Can Understand.» And «I Just Have To Get Out Of The Way So Spirits Can Make My Mbira Play - It Isn’t Me - I’m Just Amazed.» . User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply. read less