2008/05/12 by Claire G. Jones · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #African studies and sociopolitical issues #Music History and Culture #Theater, Performance, and Music History
paper · doi:10.1080/17411910801972982
openalex publication_date 2008/05/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This article explores the intersection of gendered concepts of tradition and nation in the musical and spiritual lives of the Shona people. Women performers of the mbira dzavadzimu, an instrument closely associated with traditional religious practices of spirit possession, negotiate gendered barriers to participation specific to the instrument. The article foregrounds the experiences of five women musicians whose careers span the colonial and post-colonial eras, as performance contexts have extended from traditional to commercial settings and onto the international stage.