Tawanda muChinyakare
Zimbabwean music and dance
Tawanda muChinyakare means “we are many, all in the deep tradition of the arts of our ancestors,” in ChiShona, a native language of Zimbabwe. The phase speaks of a profound unity experience through living in harmony with the deep ancestral traditions. Tawanda muChinyakare is a San Francisco Bay Area-based network of musicians, dancers, artists, teachers, and community organizers that was created with the purpose of weaving ancestral wisdom and create expression with contemporary education and community work through the medium of Zimbabwean music and dance. Tawanda muChinyakare is home to its performing troupe, the Chinyakare Ensemble.
In 2009, as participants in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program, the Chinyakare Ensemble was mentored by master artist Ronnie Daliyo, who expanded the group’s repertoire by teaching them the Dinhe. The Dinhe is a dance of the Korekore ethnic group who reside in MaShonaland Central in Northern Zimbabwe. The Dinhe is a dance to celebrate the harvest, honor ancestors, and ask for their guidance. As part of his mentorship, Ronnie shared the culture and history of Dinhe and the Korekore with the Chinyakare Ensemble.