DESPITE the declining popularity of the marimba (xylophone), Kudzai Vincent Muwori, a 25-year-old percussionist known by his stage name Wowrae, is determined to make a living playing, teaching, and promoting the instrument.
He specialises in the marimba and ngoma, fusing his skills with Afro Tech and Afro House to create a unique listening experience.
Muwori credits his musical journey to his sister, a marimba player herself. Watching her perform sparked his interest, leading him to learn the instrument. His late friend also encouraged him to join the marimba club at St. George's College.
"I strongly believe my musical journey began the day I started learning marimba," Muwori says.
"I never envisioned myself as a full-time musician, nor did I expect to have such a passion for it. Throughout the years, I explored different avenues of percussion, but what most people know me for now is performing with my group, Skyroot. Skyroot is a duo consisting of DJ Tannie Swiss and myself, a percussionist. We play Afro House music mixed with live percussion and marimba simultaneously."
Muwori primarily plays the soprano part because of its versatility. It stands out when played with other instruments. What truly sets him apart is his chromatic marimba, which features all 12 musical keys.
"This allows me to play along with any song," Muwori explains. "Secondly, I strive to be the best version of myself. I practice as much as possible, and when I play, I try to channel my emotions. My instrument becomes an extension of my feelings, and I transfer those feelings into music."
"Performing allows me more room to explore and experiment," he added. "Improvisation comes slightly easier to me than structured pieces, but I enjoy both. When doing marimba covers of songs, I choose music I enjoy listening to. This feels less forced and allows the music to flow naturally. The idea behind these covers is to raise awareness and familiarise people with the sound of the marimba played alongside modern songs they hear every day."
- Wowrae fuses afro-tech, afro house and marimba
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Muwori is also a part-time marimba and percussion teacher at three institutions: St. George's College, Afrikera Arts Trust, and Peterhouse Boys' School. He works with various bands and individual students from first form to upper sixth form.
Muwori has collaborated with artists like Othnell "Mangoma" Moyo, Shungudzo, Gemma Griffiths, ISHE, Tahle WeDzinza, Chengeto Brown, and Sylent Nqo, as well as DJs and producers such as MadeHerBelieve, Samuel Cosmic, Jason Le Roux, EX FX, AneUnhu, and TBlawu.
His stage name, Wowrae, originated with his high school friends and eventually became his widely recognised moniker. It's a play on his surname, Muwori.
Muwori attributes the decline of marimba's popularity in Zimbabwe to the dilution of culture and heritage due to colonization. This ultimately led people to favor Western instruments.
"Colonisation created a perception that our instruments don't belong with Western instruments,"
"We were pressured to abandon our instruments under the belief that Western music is superior. This caused instruments like the marimba and the mbira, the oldest and most popular Zimbabwean instrument, to become less popular." He said.
Interestingly, the marimba commonly seen in Zimbabwe today is actually a version designed at Kwanongoma College in Bulawayo during the 1960s. The tuning also follows the Western musical scale.
"Traditionally, the marimba did not have a metal frame," Muwori explains. "It was basically made with wood, animal skins (cowhide) or rope, and calabashes as resonators. Many people are unfamiliar with the traditional/original build of our marimba/timbila."
