Legacy celebrated…How Maraire melody shaped Jennifer’s path

Mbulelo Mpofu

IN Zimbabwean mbira folklore, the late Chiwoniso “Chi” Maraire shines as a true gem. The singer of the hit Wandirasa was raised in the Maraire household, the daughter of a celebrated artistic couple: mbira player and teacher Dumisani Maraire, and Linda Nemarundwe Maraire, known as “Mai Chi”, a singer.

Dumisani had moved to the US to work in the ethnomusicology department at the University of Washington in Seattle and quickly established a strong connection within the local community. His influence even reached the Kykers, where a young Jennifer was introduced to Zimbabwean music and taught at school by Dumisani.

Jennifer, now a lecturer herself, recounted her connection to the Maraire family during a speech she delivered at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last week as part of the US Embassy’s Fulbright Scholar Annual Address.

The Fulbright fellow’s address focused on the late Zimbabwean photographer, artist, and journalist, Chicago Taona Dzviti. Her lecture offered an insight into Dzviti’s Photograph Collection — an archive comprising over 4 000 images that capture the vibrancy of Zimbabwean musical and social life.

Her knowledge of the Maraires served as the link to Dzviti’s work, as they introduced her to Zimbabwean life through their music.

“I met the Maraires in Eugene, Oregon starting in 1990. I then came to Zimbabwe in 1995 and studied here with Tute Chigamba, one of the musicians in the collection. I owe my knowledge and love for Zimbabwe to them because, without them, I never would have been exposed to Zimbabwean music.

“I also studied singing with Chiwoniso Maraire’s mother, and one of my favourite memories was recording an album with Mai Chi and Kudana Marimba Ensemble in Eugene. We worked for many months together on the singing, and I sang backing vocals for her. Yes, I was good friends with Chiwoniso and I would often attend her shows at Book Cafe in Harare,” she said.

Growing up in the US, Jennifer played Zimbabwean music, listening to Chiwoniso’s parents who taught her from a young age.

Beyond her connection with the Maraire and Dzviti families, Jennifer previously worked with the Hloseni Arts Ensemble while studying IsiNdebele music and dance, an experience that fostered a deep appreciation for the region’s cultural heritage.

In her lecture, Jennifer mentioned being given permission by the Dzviti family to access Chicago’s negatives, which had been kept for 30 years. She then digitised these photographs, numbering over 4 000, though the audience only saw fewer than 75 pictures, carefully selected by her and members of the Dzviti family.

Jennifer noted that she never met Dzviti in person but was deeply impressed by his artistry.

“I first encountered Dzviti’s photographs from a photocopied hand-made magazine. I never met him, but his photos kind of stuck in my mind because of how beautiful they were.”

As a professor at the University of Rochester, Jennifer undertook a digital project about her mbira teacher, Sekuru Tute Chigamba, who, at the age of 86, is still active and crafting mbiras.

Her project, titled “Sekuru Stories”, aimed to chronicle Chigamba’s life as a lens through which to understand the lives of Zimbabweans — a case study in knowing Zimbabweans through the experiences of one individual.

“I knew that Chicago Dzviti had taken some of his photos and I wanted to use them as part of my project. I got in touch with the family and went over to see them and ask permission to use the photos. When I visited the family, I enquired what had happened to the rest of the photos.

“They told me that they were in a metal school trunk at the home of their family friend, Kelvin Dondo, a fellow photographer. We were then able to bring them to an archive at the University of Rochester where I work, to preserve them.”

She explained that the exhibit and Fulbright project aimed to bring the late Dzviti’s “exceptional photographs” into public view for the first time, to “contribute to the history of visual arts in Zimbabwe” and the increasing global interest in photographers from the African continent.

Dzviti’s collection focuses on children, mbira instrument makers, and traditional ceremonies. She confirmed that Dzviti’s family will retain intellectual property rights to his work.

“If my work goes to an archive, I can still be the owner and demand to be the owner of this work, although it’s in an archive, or although it’s being borrowed by a museum, for example. But for sure, it is possible. So, you know, taking those steps to safeguard intellectual property rights, I think is very important,” she said.

A fluent Shona speaker, Jennifer said that Dzviti’s photographs mostly depicted instrument makers, inviting viewers into the pre-colonial Monomotapa era where wood and metal showcased skilled craftsmanship.

Dzviti was both an artisan and a technical craftsman who did not alter his images.

Jennifer noted that since digitising the 4 000 pictures, the University of Rochester holds the negatives, and an online database will be created to ensure universal access to his works. During his lifetime, Dzviti photographed celebrities, including Bob Marley, Robert Mugabe, Stella Chiweshe, and Thomas Mapfumo, as well as everyday people going about their lives.

Jennifer announced that the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Harare will curate an exhibition opening on May 29, while the website (Dzviti.org) hosting Dzviti’s photographs will go live in August — a development that will ensure Dzviti’s work endures.

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