The music is in the spotlight this week in Google. After the tribute Wednesday to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, interpreter of the medley ” Over the Rainbow “, the search engine takes the direction of Zimbabwe. The doodle of Thursday, may 21, is interested in the effect of the mbira, a musical instrument, whose notes resound from more than 1,000 years in Zimbabwe. An interactive experience for the users, who can discover its history, but also learn to play a few notes.
a Few days after the kick-off of the culture week in Zimbabwe, the search engine has chosen to focus on an instrument of music emblematic of the country and, in particular, of the culture of the Shonas, which represent the bulk of the population of the country. The opportunity to discover the musical instrument, but also to learn briefly how to play it. As detailed in France Music, the mbira is a lamellophone, that is to say, a traditional music instrument-leaf plant, or metal that vibrates with the inches. In Zimbabwe, the mbira is played for over 1,000 years. This instrument plays an essential role in the traditions and the transmission of the cultural identity of the country.
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“Like your Bible”
” The mbira is like your Bible […] This is our way to pray to God. It is our phone with the ancestors, ” explains Ambuya nyati beach, one of the largest representatives of the ritual music shona in Zimbabwe. Previously, the mbira was mainly played at rituals, weddings or public gatherings. But, for several decades, the mbira has uses more contemporary and is taught in the schools of the country. According to the doogle Google, if the mbira was previously a musical instrument used mainly by men, the women of the country have started to take ownership of it in recent years. The opportunity to sound an instrument millennium new ways.
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