1 - Chiwoniso - Vanorapa - Live in studio - Zimbabwe
2 - Four Brothers - Rudo Imoto - Zimbabwe Frontline - Zimbabwe - Earthworks - CDEWV9
3 - Chiwoniso - Matsotsi - Rebel Woman - Zimbabwe - Cumbancha - CMB-CD8
4 - Chiwoniso - Rebel Woman - Live in studio - Zimbabwe
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This programme with the Zimbabwean singer Chiwoniso was recorded on June 25, in the knowledge that it would not go out until now. We were walking on eggshells in our conversation, with me being careful not to ask any question that might provoke Chiwoniso into saying something she would rather not have heard back home, and both of us implicitly wondering, what might the conditions be like by the time the programme went out? Would the same President still be there? One thing was sure, even if nothing else changed, the currency would continue to spiral – upwards in numbers, downwards in value.
I first ran across Chiwoniso ten years ago, when her debut album was released on the French Lusafrica label (better known for its Cape Verde artists, most notably Cesaria Evora). When she made a brief visit to London that year, we spoke on the phone, hoping to fit in a meeting at Radio London, but dates didn’t match and we had no further contact until now. Meanwhile I occasionally played her touching version of a Kris Kristofferson song on a fund-raising album released by a Norwegian label.
In person, Chiwoniso is as self-possessed and interesting to talk to as I had expected, and she created a haunting mood as she sang and played her large mbira. Actually, the thumb piano is a normal size – it’s the circular soundbox that is large, typical of the kind played in neighbouring Mozambique.
The album Rebel Woman is consistently strong and will belatedly draw recognition for one of Southern Africa's most impressive artists.