BY STYLE REPORTER MULTIPLE award-winning mbira gospel musician Sam “Legend” Mutandachinga has revealed how he is fighting the stigma associated with traditional instruments in the gospel genre and tribalism.
A stockbroker trading at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and offshore markets, Sam Legend recently hogged the limelight with two awards in his first year as a musician — the ZCN Outstanding Traditional Instruments Gospel Song and the JORS FM Best Gospel Artist of The Year.
The musician told Standard Style that he ventured into mbira gospel despite risking a stigma-inspired backlash from his family, Christian community and friends.
“Most local gospel fans prefer Western instruments. Mbira is regarded as demonic, so whenever they are used in gospel music, they are accompanying instruments just to make the sound complete,” Sam Legend said.
“I want to promote an authentic mbira gospel sound with mbira being the main instrument.
“My mbiras are called Mbira Dzetariro (Imbira Zethemba) and Mbira Dzemutsa (Imbira Zomusa).
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“I am taking mbira not as a tribal instrument, but as a national instrument. I sing many Zimbabwean languages — we also have to kill tribalism in churches.”
Sam Legend is also involved in special needs ministry and using the traction in the mbira music to get sponsorship for the ministry.