The best of Zimbabwe contemporary Traditional Shona Folklore.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (47:07) !
Related styles: World: African, Spoken Word: With Music, Solo Female Artist

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Details:
Edith WeUtonga.
Zimbabwe contemporary Traditional Shona Folklore
Lyrics in Shona and English

1. Chipendani
2. Chipo
3. Hutungamiri
4. Nhaka
5. Agodoka
6. Mukaranga
7. Stone Child
8. Amai
9. Taisireva
10. Waoneka
Chipendani
Edith katiji/Elton Mjanana

1st VERSE
Mwanaâangu Fari iwe Fari my child
Ona zuva riye rovira Look now the sun is setting
Nditambidze twangu iwe, ndapota Pass me my things I beg
Ndipe mbira dzangu nerimba rangu Give me my mbira and marimba
Chipendani change chiye That Chipendani of mine
Ngoma nehosho Drums and shakers

PRE CHORUS
Ona ndiyo ngoma yangu iyi X2 See this is my beat X2

CHORUS
VanaMai mese simukai yorira X2 Get up mothers, the beat is playing X2
VanaBaba mese simukai yorira X2 Get up fathers the beat is playing X2
Ngoma yorira X2 The beat is playing X2

2ND VERSE
Mwanaâangu Fari iwe Fari my child
Ona zuva riye rovira Look now the sun is setting
Nditambidze twangu iwe, ndapota Pass me my things I beg
Kana Baba vauya wouvaudze ndaenda When your father comes, tell him I am gone
Musambo wodana uyo The beat is calling
Kana Shava vauyawo uvaudze ndaenda When Shava comes, tell him I am gone
Musambo wodana uyo The beat is calling

Edith dedicates this song to the beat/music makers. She sings that the setting and the mood to create a good beat is right. In this vain, she implores Fari, her child to bring her her music tools to fix a beat. Chipendani encourages the beat maker/musicians to keep on making good beats and at the same time urges people, men, women and children to embrace the beat makersâ beat as they all need each other.


Chipo
Edith Katiji/Fatima Katiji

Ini newe takapiwa zvipo X2 You and I were given talents X2
Iwe unechako iwe, ini ndine changu X2 You have yours and I have mine X2

Mumwe ndokupiwa chekumhanya iwe Others were given talents for running
Mumwe ndokupiwa chekunyora Another was given that of writing
Mumwe ndokupiwa chekuronga And another was given that of organizing
Mumwe ndokupiwa chekubika iwe And yet another was given that of cooking

Iwe unechako iwe, ini ndinechangu X2 You have yours and I have mine X2

Uyu chake iwe chako, ini changu X4 That one has theirs you have yours , I have mine

Oh na-na-na X4

Ungandiurayira chipo changu You can kill me for my talent
Haungambokwanise kuchishandisa You cannot be able to use it
Ungamuurayire chipo chake You can kill him/her for his/her talent
Haungambokwanise kuchishandisa You cannot be able to use it
Uyo ne uyo akabarwa akabvumbatira chipo chake Everyone was born clutching their at their talent


Edith advises us to respect our talents, as we were born with them and use them without consciously, respectfully without fail. In Chipo we learn that to be envious of othersâ talents is not good as we can never excel in what we are not talented in.


Hutungamiri
Edith Katiji/Elton Mjanana

Hutungamiri chinyi ko? What is leadership?
Kuenda mberi It is going forward
Kanda ziso kunevanhu kumashure Look back at those you lead
Vatsigiri ava famba navo Move with your followers
Ngwarira kucheuka hona vaenda Careful to look back and find them gone.
Repeat verse

Ukasadaro uchaita nherera If you donât take heed you will be isolated
Mutsigiri wehondo, zvese zvakaipa nanga-nanga newe Create of war and all things bad will point to you
Hona vaaenda X4 Look the people are gone now

In this one Edith says Leadership is to literally lead people. She however warns that as a leader you have to have your eye on your followers to make sure they are still with you. She warns that failure to appease and respect them will cause them to desert you and in the end you will find yourself isolated. Moreso âHutungamiriâ warns that failed leadership is the cause for suffering, chaos, conflicts and all things bad.

Mukaranga
Edith Katiji/Elton Mjanana
Chorus
Mukaranga iwe Mukaranga iwe, Mukaranga iwe X2 Hey Mukaranga, hey Mukaranga, hey Mukaranga X2
Haiya hiya hiya we Mukaranga X2 Hey Mukaranga, hey Mukaranga
Sevenza kuti baba vemba vafare X2 Work so that your husband is happy X2
Sevenza kuti mhuri yako igute Work so that your family is well fed
Sevenza kuti hama dzose dzishanye Work so that you relatives can visit you

Chorus

Most notable musicians in Zimbabawe, past and present, have sung about this âMukarangaâ character. Stemming form the folk song MUKARANGA believed to have been popularized by the Shona spirit medium Chaminuka, many other versions have been composed about this woman referred to as Mukaranga who was said to be very jealous yet in a polygamous marriage. In her version, Edith urges Mukaranga to be resilient and be the backbone of the familyâs being. She says Mukaranga has to work to please her husband, to make her kids healthy and happy, to build a happy home and welcome relatives. This song is aptly presented with a hard-hitting Shona traditional beat albeit in a feminine manner.

Nhaka
Edith Katiji/Rea Moyo

Babamukuru mandigona Oh my brother-in-law you have really done me in
Babamukur mandinyanya Oh my brother-in-law you have really done me in
Kufirwa imhosva here? Is being widowed a crime?
Zvamatora musha mati togara paiko? Now that you have taken my home, where shall I stay?
Kufirwa imhosva here? Is being widowed a crime?
Zvamatora imba mati togara paiko? Now that you have taken my home, where shall I stay?

Chorus
Ndofire musango X2 ini musha ndiinawo I will in the wilderness X2 yet I have a home
Repeat chorus

Rufu rwuneshanje Death is jealous
Rwanditorera baba vevana It has robbed me of my childrenâs father
Imba yangu matora, pfuma yose matora My house you have taken, all the wealth you have taken
Chorus X2

Nhaka yevana vangu yavakasiirwa nababa vavo My childrenâs inheritance was left to them by their father
Nhaka yevana vangu ndakaishanda nababa vavo My childrenâs inheritance I worked for with their father
Chorus X2

Inheritance issues have always been a problem in our society. It is always assumed that all the property an wealth that a married couple has would have been accumulated by the husband. In the event of his death, the poor widow and children are left in the open and in despair. In Nhaka Edith paints a gloomy picture of a now destitute widow and her children pleading with her deceased husbandâs people to give her back what rightfully belongs to her and her children. This song also serves as a wake up call to all listening to guard jealously the fruits of their labour and be bold about it or else, like the widow in the song, all will be lost to the greedy and unscrupulous.


Stone Child
Edith Katiji

Akabereka mwana akamusiya He/She gave birth to a child and abandoned it.
Ndokubereka m wana akakyra iri ega He/She gave birth to a child that grew up alone
Mwana ndokukura asina muchengeti The child grew up with out a guardian
Iye ndokukura asina rudo rwaamai nababa The child grew up with a mother or fatherâs love
Repeat verse
Nhasi womutsvaga mwana Today you seek that child
Akura He/She is grown up
Nhasi womutsvaga mwana Today you seek that child
Awanikwa She is married
Iwe womutsvsaga mwana Today you seek that child
Oshanda He is working
Iwe womutsvaga mwana uyu You desperately seek that child
Akuzvionera He/She is fending for himself/herself

Chorus
Makabereka dombo mai You gave birth to a stone child, mother
Makabereka dombo baba You gave birth to a stone child, father
Musiye aadaro mwana uyu Let the child be.

This song is in both literal and metaphoric terms. Literally Edith asks the irresponsible parent that abandoned their child to lave that child alone. She says they should stop trying to be involved with them now that they are all grown, married, working, successful and fending for themselves. Metaphorically, the chorus â in clever but subtle Shona â underlines the pain of guilt in the now suffering parent who badly wants to be a part of their childâs life now. She says the pain is akin to one carrying a burden of a heavy stone on their back. The sadness of âStone Childâ serves a reminder to us that you only reap what you sow.
Taisireva
Hudson Simbarashe/Edith Katiji

Taisireva muchitiseka You laughed when we spoke
Hanzi wona vanhu vatema avo You said look at those black people
Taisireva muchitiseka You laughed when we spoke
Hanzi ona Havana dzidza avo You said look at them, they are uneducated
Taisireva muchitiseka You laughed when we spoke
Hanzi ona Havana kufunda You said look at them, they are not learned
Hanzi ona Havana mari You said look at them, they are poor
Iye, iye, iyerendeya X3

Chorus
Tereerai imi vanhu imi X2 Now listen you people X2
Mazuva angu angosara mana X2 I am left with only four days to live X2
Iko kufa ndakuda ini, kwangosara mwoyo X2 Only my heart beats, but I am finished X2
Vana vangu ndovasiye nani, ndavekuenda X2 Who shall I leave my kids with X2
Vana vacho havachambo tereera The kids no longer listen to their elders
Madzimbuya kushaya mutemo aya Wise grandmothers are now rare
Mdzisekuru akapera kare Wise Uncles are no longer in existence
Vakadzi kupfimba vakadzi iwe Women are falling in love with other women nowadays
Varume kupfimba varume iwe Men are falling in love with other men nowadays
Rangovajeka-jeka wacheka iwe X2 Its now just a free for all.

Chorus
This is an ancient voice form the past that says it saw the sad ending of the world coming â but no one took heed. As prophetic as artists are believed to be, âTaisirevaâ says we are living in the end times mentioned in the Bible. The unsophisticated, the unlearned and old voice says, in its wisdom, âspare me the pain of seeing this âendâ. I wish to dieâ. This may be a dark song that reaffirms the normalcy of what was, a few years back, unthinkable habits and lifestyles.


Waoneka
Edith Katiji
1st Verse
Zvawafunga zvekuenda X2 Now that you have decided to leave X2
Wasiya waparadza musha kuenda kure-kure You have destroyed your home to go far, far away
Zvikanooma ikoko, uchaudza aniko? X4 If things donât work out there, who will you tell? X4

Chorus
Siya waoneka X4 Bid farewell when you think of leaving X4

2ND Verse
Kwauri kuenda kure-kure You are going very far
Kwauri kuenda irima Where you are going, no one knows
Wasiya waparadza musha kuenda kure-kure You have destroyed your home to go far, far away
Zvikanooma ikoko, uchaudza aniko? X4 If things donât work out there, who will you tell? X4

Chorus

It is a song on good neighbourlyness. It says be good to those you meet on your way as you will meet them on your way down. Or simply put; Do not burn your house down when you leave, as you do not know what fate has in store for you wherever you are going. What if you need to come back? Waoneka says do not take your relations for granted as you might need them tomorrow.



Amai
Edith Katiji/Rea Moyo

1st Verse
Ndiani asingazive kuti mai vakakosha Who doesnât know that a mother is important
Pasi pano pasi pano o o On this earth, on this earth
Repeat verse

2nd Verse
Ngubani emhlabeni ongakwazi ukuthi umama Who doesnât know that a mother â¦
Uqakathekile. Is important.
Chivindi chako ndecheyikko mwana iwe What cheek you have child
Kurova mai X2 To beat up your own mother X2

Chorus
Ukarova mai uchatanda botso If you beat up your mother you curse yourself
Ukatuka mai uchatanda botso If you insult your mother you curse yourself
Ukarova mai uchatanda botso If you beat up your mother you curse yourself
Ukatuka mai uchatanda botso If you insult your mother you curse yourself

3rd Verse
Chivindi chako ndecheyikko mwana iwe What cheek you have child
Kurova mai X2 To beat up your own mother X2

Chorus X2

4th Verse
Ungamuthuka umama uzohlupeka If you insult your mother you will curse yourself
Uzodubeka You will cast a bad spell on yourself

Havarohwe, havatukwe amai X2 You donât beat up, and insult your mother
Uzodubeka X2 You will curse yourself
Uzohlupeka X2 You will cast a bad spell on yourself
Havarohwe Donât beat up your mother

This is an advisory song that cautions against fighting with our parents. In Shona and Ndebele beliefs, if a child insulted or beat up a parent â especially the mother â it means they have invited a bad spell upon themselves. Amai is clear in reinforcing this belief, so be warned.


Agodoka
Edith Katiji/Elton Mjanana

Mirai ndikuudzei hama dzangu Let me tell you my relatives
Chimbomirai ndikuyambirei vamwe vangu Just let me advice you my peers
Repeat verse

Ukachiva chinhu chcemunhu If you envy anotherâs possessions
Asara nenhamo ndiwe He who suffers is yourself
Adzimbirwa, agodoka ndiani? Who is left with hurt and pain of jealous?

Chorus

Ndiwe iwe aha, ndidwe iwe! X4 Itâs you, aha itâs you!X4

2ND Verse
Ndiani munhu achafa neshungu? Who is going to die of envy?
Ndiwe! You!
Ndati ndiani munhu achafa neshungu? I ask, who is going to die of envy?
Kuchiva zvevamwe. Envying what belongs to others.

Chorus

In this song, Edith assumes the role of an advisor â true to the belief that an artist is the oasis of advice â she warns the envious in our society that by being envious, they only stand to torture themselves. The urge and greed of wanting what does not belong to you is dangerous, mostly to yourself. The long and short of what âAgodokaâ stands is that jealous streaks eat up the beholder.

The credits
Executive Producers: Elton Mjanana & Edith Katiji
Produced by: Edith Katiji & Isheunopa Jere
Engineered by: Thami Bimha
Mixed by: Thami Bimha & Bothwell Nyamhondera
Engineered and Mixed at: Mopani Post Studio of Media for Development Trust (Harare)
Recording and Mixing Consultant: Bothwell Nyamhondera

The Musicians
Edith Katiji: Bass guitar, lead vocals
Isheunopa Jere: Keyboards, backing vocals
Fatima Katiji: Lead vocal (tracks 2, 4 & 7) and backing vocals
Tariro Ruzvidzo: Rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*Tatenda Kanjatu: Drums
*Hudson Simbarashe: Lead guitar, backing vocals
*John Mambira: Percussions
* Guest musicians

EdithWeUtonga Thanks;
Samusha vangu Shava my soul mate, my sons Papa & Jana, my mom & dad for letting me be, Amwene vangu Dziva, Utonga team for the shared vision, Collin Sam Madora, the comrades Rumbi Tapfuma, Aaron Kambilinga, Eugene Ullman, Rob Machiri, Leornard Matsa &Musa Ally, Mr. V Kunonga, Mr. B Goredema , Mr. W Muparutsa, Mrs. P Bganya, Mr. W Seremani, Mr. D Mwale & Divine Productions, Mr. D Maposa & the entire staff at Savanna Trust, Pamberi Trust & Arts Factory (Rudo, Tate and Noreen) and above all kune veMatenga for the second chance at life and lastly all you Utonga fans.

AFTER MY NEAR DEATH IN 2008, I WOKE UP TO A NEW DAY AND I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO EXPERIENCE THIS NEW BEGINNING I LIKE TO CALL UTONGA â THE BREAK OF A NEW DAWN.
- EDITHWEUTONGA

This one is for THE FAMILY.

A FAMILY AFFAIR PRODUCTION ©2010