musikinstrument, rekvisita, parallellsamling, chivoti

"This is a woodwind instrument commonly used as a prelude to vocalizations in most of songs of the the Digo, Duruma, and Rabai tribes. The chivoti was usually played by young herdboys watching animals at pasture. It is made from a thoroughlydried bamboo stem with seven holes bored in it, a large mouth hole and seven, smaller tone holes. Different pitches are produced by blocking and unblocking the tone holes with the fingertips. The playing techniques for this instrument are intricate and complex. A student is thus required to first master a song’s vocals, which are traditionally accompanied by instruments used in the Sengenya and other coastal genres. Afterwards, the student graduates to learn the blowing method of the chivoti scales. The student observes the teacher’s fingering pattern on the tone holes while listening to the melody and then tries to repeat it.

There is only a handful of well-known Chivoti players who are still alive within the Digo tribe, namely Haji Mwareje, Mwapati Chimanga, Rashidi and Suleimana Ndaro. Bemnyika from Duruma tribe and Chinalo Chakuvunda from the Digo tribe are two other Chivoti aficionados who have left behind a rich legacy of melodies for new students. Today, the chivoti is common among all the Mijikenda tribes, especially after its use in creating a well-known melody, the jingle for the Voice of Kenya radio station. This melody was created by Bemnyika from the Duruma tribe (Mwabeja clan), and was used between 1964 and 1989 before the station became the KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Station)." - excerpt of a text written by Daniel Muhuni.