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The Chopi Timbila


Language: English

The Chopi communities live mainly in the southern part of Inhambane province in southern Mozambique and are famous for their orchestra music. Their orchestras consist of five to thirty wooden xylophones, called timbila, of varying sizes and ranges of pitch. The timbila are finely manufactured and tuned wooden instruments made from the highly resonant wood of the slow-growing mwenje (sneezewort) tree. Under each wooden slat, a resonator made out of calabashes is fastened, tightly sealed with beeswax, and tempered with the oil of the nkuso fruit, giving the timbila their rich nasal sound and characteristic vibrations. The orchestras are composed of timbila masters and apprentices of all age groups, with children playing next to their grandfathers/Other duration :120 minutes


on this subject: Proclamation of masterpices 2005-Element inscribed on the Representative list 2008


Topics and Tags
Place/region: Mozambique, Africa
Series: Inscriptions on the Intangible Heritage Lists
Type: Documentary
Duration:
Production and personalities:
Director: Ministry of Culture of Republic of Mozambique
Publisher: Ministry of Culture of Republic of Mozambique
Coproducer/sponsor: Ismael Mamudo
Published in:
 

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Original: Betacam
Location: F-H.129
UMVS reference: AUD-DIT/ISS/ARC/0477
Digitized version : AVFONDS-CLTITH-2008-00133.DV

Source ref.: CLT-ITH- 0133-09-2; CLT-ITH-133-06-1