Projects
Resonating Mwenje: Documenting the timbila making process and the techniques of the masters from Zavala, Mozambique
Team
Gianira Ferrara (Principal Investigator, INET-md)
Sara Morais (Colaborator)
Venâncio Mande Júnior (Colaborator)
Execution calendar
1/03/2025 - 28/02/2027
Hosting Institution
Institute of Ethnomusicology - Centre for Studies in Music and Dance, NOVA FCSH
Funding
The mbila (sing. of timbila) is a xylophone made by people from the Chopi ethnolinguistic group, made entirely from natural materials from the local ecosystem. The name timbila is also used to refer to a performance practice (also called n’godo) played by a set of xylophones, which includes dancing and singing. The making of the timbila requires precise skills, and few masters currently possess this knowledge. The complexity of its fabrication techniques is poorly documented and has been lost for some years. The mwenje, the tree from which the timbila makers extract the timber to produce the instrument’s bars, is in danger of extinction. As a result, the timbila tradition itself is under threat. Little has been done to safeguard it.
This project aims to document in detail the timbila making process, and the material knowledge systems surrounding the cultivation of the mwenje and other raw materials, which are difficult to reach but which give the instrument its characteristic timbre. The timbila allows us to observe a dynamic link between culture, performance and environment. Although our focus is on material culture, our project will also include the ritual and performative universe (funeral rituals, anniversaries, weddings, etc.) where the timbileiros circulate. We will produce audiovisual, photographic, textual documentation focusing on the knowledge carefully guarded by four timbila masters and the performances of their groups. Copies of the material produced will be exhibited and stored in different places of reference for the local community.
More information: https://www.emkp.org/resonating-mwenje-documenting-the-timbila-making-process-and-the-techniques-of-the-masters-from-zavala-mozambique/
Photographs by Gianira Ferrara.
