A bird knows it must fly. It is not taught. It decides when, and sometimes it is ushered forward so it can soar.

Nasibo Mutize has been on my playlist for some time now. She plays the mbira beautifully, but her voice is the star instrument. You almost forget to listen to anything else. She offers real, soulful music. I reached out to her this week to see if we could do a story and learn more about her craft.

I had planned the piece for September, but then I watched a performance she did with MAISHA in Brussels in February 2022 on Tuesday as I was researching more about her.

MAISHA was an Afro-European music collective created ahead of the sixth EU-AU Summit, 12 musicians from across both continents at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, blending traditional instruments like the mbira and kora with European classical and contemporary jazz. The group included Youssou N’Dour as special guest.

As I watched and repeated that performance over a few times, I got a sense of the story I wanted to write and it could not wait for September. I sent her my question set that same night, asking her if we could get it done for this Sunday instead.

Watching the performance, as Youssou N’Dour finishes his part, he ushers Nasibo in and takes a step back. Her first lines sound subdued, tentative. Then her voice takes over. She hits the high notes. The crowd goes into cheers. Cherif Soumano and Maryll Abbas, two other great musicians in that ensemble are beaming ear to ear. You can see they realise they have just experienced a great musical moment.

Nasibo is of the Hungwe clan, the Fish Eagle, the bird carved in soapstone at Great Zimbabwe, the bird on our flag and on the coat of arms. Watching her holding the mbira alongside those 12 elite musicians, each carrying their heritage, I felt proud and represented as a Zimbabwean. In that moment, as Youssou N’Dour gave her the stage, the bird decided to fly.

This is the story of the Zimbabwean Bird, Nasibo. A custodian carrying a true sound of the motherland to the world.