MANTIMBWA AND MTYANGALA: MUSICAL BOWS PLAYED BY GIRLS AND WOMEN IN ZAMBIA

Abstract

In many cultures, musical instruments are used to convey cultural and spiritual values. In Africa, the drum and other instruments played by men are dominant to a point of relegating those involving women. In an attempt to contribute to the documentation on Zambian musical instruments played by girls and women, this article probes the modern contexts of two musical bows; the Mantimbwa played by the Tonga and the Mtyangala of the Chewa and Tumbuka, found in the Southern and Eastern provinces of Zambia, respectively. Data for the study was collected using interviews and participant observations. The study exposed the lack of documentation on Zambian instruments, especially chordophones and aerophones. Besides documentation, the need to record the music played on these instruments using modern technology such as on video and audio Compact Disks (CDs) was indicated. The greater picture that emerges from this study is that musical traditions in Africa are closely tied to culture. Therefore, as certain cultural traditions disappear, musical traditions that are closely tied to them eventually also disappear. There also arise nuances in the study that point to the neglect of meanings that individuals attach to the process of music making.