Patrick Mweemba "Budima"

Patrick Mweemba is a distinguished Tonga graphic artist, painter and musician living in Choma in the Southern Province of Zambia. This picture, entitled Budima, which forms part of a limited edition of 25 prints, depicts a ceremony celebrated by the Valley Tonga who live on both sides of the Zambezi River in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The music for Budima, or ngoma buntibe as it is known amongst the Tonga in Zimbabwe, employs between about twelve and twenty different-sized antelope horns, each horn being played by a different individual who contributes his/her note to the phrase as and when it is required. In addition, there are between five and seven drums ranging from the small hand-held variety played with sticks to extremely large drums covered with membranes fashioned from the ears of elephants and requiring one or more persons to support them in addition to the principal player.

Budima was commissioned by KUNZWANA Trust and Arge-Zimbabwe as part of the 1997 Tonga Cultural Project entitled Nyaminyami: Celebrating Valley Tonga Culture.

If you are interested in purchasing a print from this valuable limited edition, please contact KUNZWANA Trust at or write to P.O. Box MP 349, Mount Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Price: US $80.00 (+ US$20.00 for postage and packaging outside Zimbabwe)

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