Jangwa music and musical performance by the Manyika people of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Jangwa music is traditional to the Manyika people of Zimbabwe. The Manyika are a sector of the Shona people, occupying a portion of Manicaland Province in the eastern part of Zimbabwe. African societies carefully craft songs for different contexts to serve a functional and educational purpose. The aim of the study was to explore the origin and the structure of jangwa music, the sociological and social psychological functions of the music and its performance, as well as its aesthetic values among the Manyika people. The study utilised focused ethnographical methods. A large group of elderly Manyika people with extensive knowledge and experience who were purposively selected acted as key informants. Data collection strategies included participant and non-participant observation during jangwa music performances, as well as in-depth individual and focus-group interviews. The study employed content analysis and selected songs were transcribed in staff notation using Crescendo Music Notation Software for analysis purposes. The outcomes of the study reveal some form of acculturation in the origin and structure of the music resulting in the music being a contemporary choral music. While some of the songs are for school sporting events, others are to demonstrate pride in teachers, community leaders and natural features within the Manyika region. However, the findings reveal that the majority of jangwa songs are for wedding and marriage ceremonies. Most of the wedding songs focus on the role of brides and married women as a whole, signifying the pivotal role they play within the Manyika society, yet a glimpse of the male roles are heard. In all the contexts, jangwa music contributes in uplifting the sociological and social psychological well-being of performers and audience members. For the Manyika people, the function of jangwa music takes precedence in its aesthetical values. Considering the diminishing of African musical arts, the study recommends the ethno-musicological use of jangwa music in informal and formal education in Zimbabwe for the promotion of indigenous knowledge systems. Jangwa song lyrics convey the distinctive values, virtues, and life skills of the Manyika people, and are therefore inextricably bound to the indigenous fabric and context-specific utilitarian purposes of the music.