Mozambique - Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi - page 352

Quissico
About 130km northeast of Xai-Xai on the N1 is Quissico, capital of Zavala district. It is
noteworthy for being one of the main meal and bathroom stops on long-haul bus routes
along the N1. If the bus stops for long enough, look down the escarpment eastward to a
chain of shimmering, pale blue lagoons in the distance. Quissico's other claim to fame is
that it is the centre of the famed Chopi timbila (marimba) orchestras , and the site of an
annual timbila festival (last weekend in August).
Lagoa Eco Village ( 84-577 2946; [e-mail]; campsite per person
Mtc300, dm/d MTc400/1750, 5-/8-person self-catering chalet Mtc4300/5940) , on the
edge of the lagoon about 7km from Quissico town down a rough track, has a lagoon-side
setting, swimming and kite surfing (with your own equipment), and various types of rus-
tic, thatched accommodation and camping. There's a braai area, a communal kitchen and
a small bar, but no restaurant, so bring your own food and drink (Quissico town has basics
and an ATM), or book meals with them in advance. Via public transport, take a chapa
from the main Quissico junction heading to Macomane. Get off at the T-junction, from
where it is about 1km further on foot to the right. Driving, the turnoff is signposted oppos-
ite the hospital.
CHOPI TIMBILA ORCHESTRAS
The intricate rhythms and pulsating beat of Chopi timbila music are among southern Africa's most impressive
musical traditions. The music is played on timbila (singular: mbila ) - a type of marimba or xylophone made of
long rows of wooden slats carved from the slow-growing mwenje (sneezewood) tree. In age-old rites of passage,
young Chopi boys would go into the bush to plant mwenje saplings, which would then be harvested for timbila
construction years later when their grandsons came of age.
At the heart of timbila music is the m'saho (performance), which involves an orchestra ( mgodo ) of up to 20 or
more instruments of varying sizes and ranges of pitch, singers and dancers, rattle or shaker players and a single
composition with movements similar to those of a Western-style classical symphony. Rhythms are complex, often
demanding that the players master different beats simultaneously with each hand, and the lyrics are full of humour
and sarcasm, dealing with social issues and community events.
Following a decline during the immediate post-independence and war years, timbila music is now experiencing
a renaissance, due in part to the efforts of Venáncio Mbande, a master composer, player and timbila craftsman par
excellence. Like many other Chopi, Mbande left Mozambique at a young age to seek work in the South African
mines but kept the art of timbila alive and ultimately formed his own orchestra. In the mid-1990s Mbande re-
turned to his home near Quissico, where he began teaching timbila music and craftsmanship. His orchestra, Tim-
bila ta Venáncio, has received international acclaim. Numerous other orchestras have since been formed around