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Fabio Chivhanda is a master composer and dancer in the Zimbabwean Shona tradition. His songs are accompanied by the Mbira, a 22 key thumb piano played inside a halved Calabash gourd. Fabio’s music expresses a fusion of his Zimbabwean roots and his current Australian experience. Raised in Mhondoro Ngezi, Fabio’s childhood was filled with the rich culture and folklore of his native area. From his father he learned local dances and drum beats, which he performed from an early age alongside elders at traditional ‘bira’ ceremonies. About the time he was 13 years old, Fabio had a vivid dream in which he played the Mbira. This dream affected him so deeply that he was inspired to begin constructing his first instrument. He selected a branch from the sacred Mubvamaropa ‘blood’ sap tree, which he carved to make the base of his Mbira. The keys were hand beaten from steel rio taken from a nearby construction site. Elder musicians in Fabio’s village ceremoniously presented him with the Calabash