Ignatious & daughter Gladys Mashinya 2017

What Does Your Tax-Deductible Donation Do?

During 2020, 100% of your tax-deductible donations for several months were used to send food deliveries to Zimbabwean musicians during drought and the ravages of “acute” hunger! We have received so so many thank-yous to pass on to you!

Even a small tax-deductible donation to MBIRA can provide huge support to Zimbabwean traditional musicians and their families. 72% of Zimbabweans live in chronic poverty (UN 2016), 28% of children under 5 are stunted due to chronic malnutrition (World Food Program 2019). Nutritious food, primary school fees, and health care of any kind are a struggle to access, or out of reach, for many of the traditional musicians MBIRA has recorded all over Zimbabwe.

Investment in CultureRead about the success of the MBIRA Musicians Fund.  Read about MBIRA‘s support for traditional music education in Zimbabwe. Donate Now with check, card or PayPal account; or,  donate without spending a cent.

Your donations help MBIRA to:

  • Record a wide variety of Zimbabwean traditional musicians, supporting more rural musicians in Zimbabwe, as well as archiving their styles. Musicians are given an initial payment of $50 each, or a maximum of $100 per group, at the time of recording, from your donations.
Recording Mudewairi Village Singers
Recording Mudewairi Village Singers 2010
  • Pay recorded musicians whose recordings royalties are less than $100 annually –  the MBIRA “Musicians Fund“.  Because this is still payment for the recording, the musician maintains his/her self-respect. MBIRA is supporting over 300 traditional musicians all over Zimbabwe, from the capital city to remote areas, some of whom have no other source of cash income. Note that all musicians who receive donations commit to teaching children in their community traditional music. Zimbabwean traditions transmit many positive cultural values which are direly needed in this time of economic and political distress, and rapid Westernization. We believe that small ventures like this give people self- and community-respect as well as financial support, and are small building blocks of a better world in the future.
  • Donate mbira instruments to schools in Zimbabwe where local mbira players have offered to teach, and pay those teachers.

When musicians receive payment for recordings, they receive a statement with the payment details explained: how many of which recordings were sold, payment for each, and amount of donations added (if any).
When musicians receive payment for [MBIRA] recordings, they receive a statement with the payment details explained: how many of which recordings were sold, payment for each, and amount of donations added (if any). Transparency!
To make a tax-deductible donation by CHECK or MONEY ORDER, make it out to MBIRA and send to MBIRA, P.O. Box 7863, Berkeley, CA 94707-0863, USA.

You can also add a donation to your MBIRA Store order.

To make a tax-deductible donation by CREDIT/DEBIT CARD or PAYPAL: