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Describe the atmosphere and live music at a local pub, restaurant, festival, church or temple, club night.... inspire other people to check it out!
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Musician: Linos Wengara Magaya
Location: Brighton
Instruments: mbira / voice
Music: Zimbabwean
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 ÌýÌýListen (7'52) to Linos Wengara Magaya play 'Wengara Irombe' from 'Zimbaremabwe', Solo 2002
Listen to Linos Wengara Magaya in the World on Your Street tent at WOMAD 2003
'When we were young. we used to go to different healers and do some spiritual ceremonies.'
How I came to this music:
I was influenced by my uncle David Magunje. He was a spiritual healer from the Negombwe tribe, in Mhondoro, in the West of Zimbabwe. When we were young, we used to go to different healers and do some spiritual ceremonies, and mbira was used as the main instrument to call the spirits. We used to copy his movements, the way he plays and sings, and also compare him with other healers in different ceremonies wherever we went.
Then from there, we took it to little towns around Zimbabwe and started playing in ceremonies in ghettos. I was playing in a traditional band at school and then when I left school I formed my own band. I came to England in 1997 with the help of a friend, and though it was a struggle in Zimbabwe, I'm still struggling here. I'm going to be 28 this year, and I really hope to get a promotional company or an agency to work with me, because at the moment, I'm not represented. I'd like to travel around Europe too, because since I came to Britain I've never played outside of this country.
Where I play:
 In Brighton, where I live, I play at the Dome and Comedia, and in London, I've played at The Africa Centre. I also used to play often at Bread & Roses  the Mwalimu Express in Clapham  but they're looking for a new venue at the moment. I play solo sometimes, but also with a full band who use drums, keyboards, congas, bass and djembe. I've also done gigs with well known Zimbabwean musicians like Stella Chiweshe, Thomas Mapfumo and Chartwell Dutiro. I've recorded four albums, three of which are on sale in Zimbabwe. I haven't as yet signed with any UK label, but you can buy my CDs at the gigs.
A favourite song:
My favourite song on my new album is called Wengara Irombe. It's about the last time I came back to Zimbabwe, when my parents passed away. When I arrived it was very shocking. From then on, that's when my whole life changed. When I came back to Britain, my wife left me, with my kid as well. Everything just changed. So that song is actually saying that it's so tough to get on well with many people. Irombe is somebody who is not employed, who is quite poor, and who is working hard for life. A struggling person. I use lots of traditional mbira tunes and I just make up my new message to go with these songs. But I've got lots of my own tunes as well.
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