Forward Kwenda is a

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

performer from

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. He was given the name "Forward" due to his involvement in many activities including his performances for guerrilla forces during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three for ...

Early life

He was born in the rural

Buhera Buhera is a village in Zimbabwe. Location Buhera District is in Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe. It is about , by road, southwest of Mutare, the location of the provincial headquarters. This location is approximately , southeast of ...

area of

Manicaland Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2012 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. After Harare and Bulawa ...

. As a young boy, Forward was interested in traditional dance and the recitation of ancient poetry. At the age of 10, he began to play ngoma (drums) and hosho (gourd rattles) for his mother's ' gombwe (rain-making) spirit'. At an early age, Forward borrowed a mbira and self-learned with the occasional radio programs.

Career

In 1984, Kwenda moved to Zimbabwe's capital city of

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

and began to play mbira with other musicians. Within a year, he had formed his own mbira group and was making records and performing on national radio, as well as performing constantly at mapira ceremonies. During this period, he claimed that he was informed by powerful rain-making spirits that he was to devote his life to playing mbira for their ceremonies. He was known for bringing the "desired spirits" to a ceremony by the end of the first ceremony song. In 1985, Forward began playing in a style considered in

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

culture to be "more ancient because spirits prefer it." This style was first recorded in 1985 and 1986 by his

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

friend

Glenn Makuna Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

, who dubbed Kwenda "the Coltrane of mbira". The makombwe, believed to be the ancestors of all mankind, supposedly prefer Kwenda's ancient style and come to earth as soon as he begins playing his mbira. Kwenda claims, "It's not me, my spirits just play through me." Asked about his experience playing mbira, Forward responds: In 1997, Kwenda toured the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with

Erica Azim Erica Kundidzora Azim is a musician based in Berkeley, California, who is associated with a not-for-profit organisation. Recordings ''Mbira - Healing Music of Zimbabwe'' The Relaxation Company ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English ...

, and recorded the Shanachie CD ''Svikiro: Meditations of an Mbira Master''. In February 2000, Kwenda performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, with Erica Azim and toured North America with her during 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2019, Kwenda coauthored the book ''Learn to Play Mbira : Traditional Songs and Improvisation'' with the autho
Andy Fowler
On January 1, 2020, they launched the mbira master video and tablature archiving projec
mbira.online
within which Forward is the predominant tutor and performer. Forward and Andy now work together a
Mbira Magic
with the goal of promoting mbira music and creating employment for Zimbabwean musicians.

References

External links

Mbira Magic - Discover Mbira : Ancient Zimbabwean Trance MusicMbira.Online - Mbira Masters Video and Notation/Tablature ArchiveMBIRA - A non-profit in support of Shona music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwenda, Forward People from Manicaland Province Zimbabwean musicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life

Career

See also

References

External links