The mbira (whose simplified commercial offshoot is known in the West as the “kalimba”; generically, a “thumb piano”) is an African instrument consisting of a set of metal tines of varying length fixed to a wooden board; they are plucked with the thumbs. The board is often placed inside a large gourd resonator to amplify the sound.
The mbira has a special, sacred meaning for the Shona people (Zimbabwe): it accompanies the bira ceremonies — rites of communion with ancestral spirits that can last all night. Its ringing, shimmering, hypnotic sound with a characteristic “buzz” (from deliberately added rattles) creates multilayered, cyclical patterns. The mbira is a deep spiritual and musical symbol of Africa, and its tender timbre has gained popularity in contemporary world music as well.
