Cosmas Magaya (5 October 1953 – 10 July 2020) was a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

musician.

Background

Raised in the rural areas of

Mhondoro-Ngezi Mhondoro-Ngezi District is a district of the Province Mashonaland West in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by ...

, Magaya played a role in the research of musicologist Paul Berliner's books ''The Soul of Mbira'' (1978), ''The Art of Mbira'' (2019), coauthored with Berliner ''Mbira's Restless Dance'' (2020) and also performed mbira on the accompanying ''Soul of Mbira'' audio recordings released by

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

. Magaya performed internationally in Europe and the United States with Mhuri Yekwa Rwizi, and the Zimbabwe Group Leaders Mbira Ensemble, including members Hakurotwi Mude, Beauler Dyoko, Chaka Chawasarira, Simon Magaya and Paul Berliner. Magaya died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe on 10 July 2020.

Leadership positions

Aside from his activities in music, Magaya was also Program Director for Nhimbe for Progress, a non-profit organization serving impoverished villagers in the Mhondoro region of Zimbabwe, and he sat on the Board of Directors of Tariro, a grassroots non-profit organization working in Zimbabwe to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by educating young women and girls. Cosmas Magaya was also the Village Head of Magaya/Zvidzai Village under Chief Nherera of Mhondoro.

References

External links

Soul of Mbira Book on University of Chicago Press Website

Soul of Mbira CD Recording, Nonesuch website

Cosmas Magaya bio on Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center website

Nhimbe for Progress

Tariro

Interview and live performance with Cosmas Magaya, Originally broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY
* Zimbabwean musicians 1953 births 2020 deaths People from Mashonaland West Province Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe {{Zimbabwe-bio-stub