A Prodigy’s Calling

By Paul F. Berliner

Art by Lucas Bambo

Prodigy chronicles Cosmas Magaya’s childhood as the son of a healer/farmer/spirit medium in colonial Rhodesia in the 1950s-60s, a time of turbulent change that foreshadowed the country’s independence/civil war. Accounts of his musical training and performances during this period illuminate the mbira’s central place in ‘traditional’ Shona religion and society, while teaching readers how to listen to the music. QR-coded recordings illustrate the music’s basic components and their creative application–and the compelling interaction of musicians and worshippers at spirit possession ceremonies. Amplifying the book’s themes are prints by Lucas Bambo depicting daily life and musical practices at Magaya village and Prodigy’s “Beginners’ Guide to Playing Eight Mbira Compositions.”