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Evaluating Shona Liturgical Music in Localised Practices of Inculturation within the Catholic Mass in Zimbabwe Submitted by Crispinah Machingura Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Ethnomusicology) in the School of Arts, College of Humanities - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. November 2014 Supervisor: Doctor Sazi Dlamini 1 DEDICATION To God the Father our Lord Jesus Christ, be all glory, honour and praise through this work. Vana Vadiki VaMariya Musande, my dearest parents (Baba naMai Muketekesi), my brothers and sisters and all the Machingura grandchildren Nakeisha, Tanaka, Tinomudaishe, Chikomborero and Munashe, all for the love of you. i DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own original work. All citations, references, and borrowed ideas have been duly acknowledged. None of the present work has been previously submitted. Student name CRISPINAH MACHINGURA ………………………………………………………………… Date 14 NOVEMBER 2014 …………………………………………………. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am most grateful to God for His sustaining treasures of unending mercies that kept me alive when I needed them most. Among the people who assisted me, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Sazi Dlamini for his patience, academic prowess and unwavering mentorship. His keen interest in my work and encouragement were invaluable incentives towards the completion of this thesis. I am also indebted to the following people for their meaningful contribution to this study. A research project would never come to completion without information: I earnestly thank Prof David Dargie for directing me to invaluable literature about inculturation and Prof Andrew Tracey who also availed himself for interviews on Shona traditional music. I am also indebted of thankfulness to Br Clement Sithole and Mr Tendekai Kuture (Mhofu!) for sharing their musical experiences with me. To my interviewees: Mr Chaka Chawasarira (the inspiring indigenous hosho, marimba, dance and mbira guru), Mr John Kina Dzingai, Fr Joseph Lenherr for the enriching interviews, Fr Emmanuel Ribeiro, Simbi Mapurisa, Mrs Loveness Chawafambira, Ignatius Chabata and Mr Clemence Mudzinganyama Ndambakuwa, Fathers Kennedy Muguti, Wolfgang Thamm for giving me information about Ponde, Brian Enwright and Mabonga – I thank you all, without you I would not have completed my thesis. I also thank Bishop Xavier Munyongani and Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu for kindly availing themselves for short discussions with me, and for granting me access to the archives in their dioceses. Sr Bonifatia, Sr Sanyika and Sr Marcelline I know I intruded on your privacy and pockets, I thank you for the sacrifice. I am grateful to all parishioners for their willingness to participate. I am sincerely grateful especially to the parish priests for allowing me to conduct research in their parishes (Fr Walter Galahue and Fr James Chabuka who directed me to Chaka Chawasarira, alerted me about the Chawasarira mbiras, sometimes offered me his driver and transport during my research, and his assistants, Fr Regis Chikuni and Fr Joseph Mahlahla), and other church guardians for their permission to research. I also thank Mr Patrick Muginyi and Mr Adaareva; Parish Chairpersons - for directing me to those interviewees who are well experienced regarding my topic. iii My fellow colleague Innocent Mutero – thank you so much for kindly editing my videos. Rosaria Mwale, Edward Nhubu, Orela, Lynda, Sr Innocentia Mchunu, Sakile, Dumi muzukuru waChihera, Ephraim, Chikwama, Claudette, Lukas, Moyo, Mrs Mude, Jabulisile, Gumede , Kagiso, Basaini, Mlondis Auxilia and Imrigardis, Chips, Greg Adamson, Angela Chimbindi, Peter, Vimbai and Josephine Gbobgo – my dear friends, I salute you all. I also thank Professor Chimbari for his kindness. My friends in prayer and fasting, Angela, my sibling sisters and brothers; Chrispen, Claudia, Colleta, Callista, Angela, Opinion Kupara, Petty, Franciscans, Dominicans and Oblates I am grateful to you all – the prayers were powerful. Rev Doctor Moyo, I thank you for the advice and encouragement. Sekuru Tendai Gandanzara, makaita basa sekuru, for all your assistance and humour when I needed it most. I also thank anyone who helped me in any way whilst conducting this research when my father fell very sick and in a special way those who comforted me when I lost a friend, Sr Gertrude Sunduza, through a mysterious death during my research fieldwork. I would like to thank Great Zimbabwe University Staff Development Fellowship for awarding me the scholarship and opportunity to study in South Africa. Also, I extend my appreciation to the UKZN Howard College Music, Main Library staff for provision of all the required reading books and short postgraduate research courses. Special acknowledgements go to Vasu Chetty, Zondi Vesi at UKZN, Jescom especially Sr Tendai Makonese for the Mwari Ngaarumbidzwe video provided and SOCOM for providing me with the Life History of Stephen Magwa Ponde video. Special thanks go to my editor, for the professional services rendered. iv PREFACE This study evaluates practices of inculturation in the composition and performance of Shona liturgical music for the Catholic Mass in the parishes of St Theresa Seke and Glen Norah- Budiriro, which are both located in Harare, Zimbabwe. Whilst focusing on Shona liturgical songs and their performance as expressions of Shona culture, this research is premised on diversity in local interpretations of inculturation among the Shona Catholic subjects of this study. Chapter 1 introduces elements of the conceptual framework of the research topic, the research methodology and also presents the theoretical underpinnings of the study. Chapter 2 focuses on the interpretations of inculturation by the parishioners and local leadership, represented by bishops of the two local parishes under focus. In Chapter 2, only the bishops‟ and parishioners‟ interpretations are taken into consideration. Chapter 3 deals further with interpretations of inculturation by Shona composers and probes how this influences their approach to composition. Chapter 4 discussions are centred on the role of parishioners in the performance of Shona songs for the Mass, and also investigates the musical ramifications of differences between parishioners‟ and composers‟ views of the Shona culture in Shona liturgical songs. By focusing on musical instruments, dance and language both the composed and performed elements of Shona liturgical songs are investigated in terms of how they express the Shona culture, using pioneering and current examples of Shona liturgical compositions by important composers such as Stephen Magwa Ponde, Chaka Chawasarira, Nicholas Muchenu, and John Kina Dzingai. Chapter 5 presents a summary and conclusion to this thesis. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION........................................................................................................................... i DECLARATION...................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. iii PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. viii LIST OF TRANSCRIPTIONS .............................................................................................. ix GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................................................................ x MAPS ..................................................................................................................................... .xv CHAPTER 1: EVALUATING SHONA LITURGICAL MUSIC IN LOCALISED PRACTICES OF INCULTURATION WITHIN THE CATHOLIC MASS IN ZIMBABWE ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Location of study – the parishes and parishioners under focus........................................ 2 1.3 Significance of the study .................................................................................................. 3 1.4 The concept of inculturation and other theories framing this study ................................. 4 1.5 Further theories resonating with this study ...................................................................... 8 1.5.1 Post-colonial liturgies ................................................................................................ 8 1.5.2 Indigenous creativity ............................................................................................... 10 1.6 Research methodology ................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: LOCAL INTERPRETATIONS OF INCULTURATION ......................... 14 2.1 The concept of inculturation within the Roman Catholic hierarchy .............................. 14 2.2 Inculturation and the beginnings of Shona liturgical music ........................................... 16 2.3 The stages of
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