Mutare is set to pulse with ancestral rhythms and spiritual energy on December 27, when the inaugural Bira Rematendo Festival transforms Mutare Sports Club into a living shrine of music, dance, and thanksgiving. Rooted deeply in Shona tradition, Bira Rematendo—Shona for Festival of Thanksgiving—promises an all-night cultural spectacle celebrating Zimbabwe’s enduring musical heritage and spiritual identity.
Organiser Lino Pilato, now widely known as Sir Lino, told NewsDay that the festival will fuse sacred mbira traditions with contemporary Afro-fusion expressions, creating a transcendent experience that bridges generations. A renowned mbira exponent and frontman of Ntswai Ntswai Arts, Pilato has curated a stellar line-up of traditional music luminaries, positioning the festival as one of Zimbabwe’s most culturally significant events of the year.
The all-star cast includes Ntswai Ntswai Crew, Mbira Dzenharira, Sasha Amadhuve, Hwidza, CAFF, Moosafa King, Bobo Kalabash, Selector Guva Ranks, Wachari, Mono Mukundu—affectionately known as God’s Favourite Guitarist—and the Dapurahunzwa Dance Group, among several other revered performers. Together, they will deliver a sonic journey through ancient mbira modes, rhythmic dance, and modern interpretations steeped in ancestral memory.
More than a music festival, Bira Rematendo is envisioned as a sacred yet inclusive cultural gathering—a space for healing, self-reflection, and reconnection with ancestral spirits. Pilato explained that the ceremony is secular in format but spiritual in essence, focusing on matendo, meaning deeds of gratitude for blessings, resolutions, and divine interventions received throughout the year.
Award-winning Kevin Simomondo, leader of the Dapurahunzwa Dance Group, promised a breathtaking showcase of Manicaland’s cultural richness, highlighting the province’s diversity through powerful dance and storytelling. Mbira maestro Tendai Samaita Gahamadze of Mbira Dzenharira echoed the sentiment, pledging a masterclass performance to celebrate a fruitful year and usher in renewed harmony.
Pilato said the artist selection reflects the historical evolution of mbira music.
“Mbira Dzenharira will deliver traditional modal mbira in its purest form, while Ntswai Ntswai and Dapurahunzwa represent the contemporary era. Sasha Amadhuve, Wachari, and Mono Mukundu will explore Afro-fusion through melodic innovations, harmonies, and intricate musical textures. The festival also showcases innovative and authentic mbira music from the rest of the line-up,” he explained.
The festival runs from 6:00pm until dawn, embracing the traditional all-night bira ceremony format. Tickets are priced from US$10 to US$50 for VVIP, offering audiences an immersive opportunity to experience Zimbabwe’s spiritual soundscape.
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“We warmly greet elders, youth, and all people of Manicaland and beyond. Come one and all on December 27 as the Bira Rematendo Festival transforms Mutare Sports Club. Let us unite in playing mbira, dancing, and celebrating the good deeds of our ancestors,” Pilato said.
