FIVE years after co-founding and co-organising the 2018 ZiMarimba Fest which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest marimba ensemble ever to play together, Zimbabwean songbird Mpiwa Gwindi, 22, has made history once again.
Mpiwa, the daughter of former Premier Soccer League (PSL) secretary-general Leslie Gwindi, made the official anthem for the 2023 World Food Forum-organised by the Food and Agricultural Organisation-which ran in Rome recently (October 16 to 20).
Titled ‘Together,’ the anthem, which includes English, French and Shona lyrics, focusses on the 2023 World Food Forum theme — Transforming agrifood systems accelerates climate action — paying special emphasis on youth and unity.
The rising 22-year-old Zimbabwean Afro-fusion artiste, a final year university student at Yale-NUS college in Singapore majoring in international relations and minoring in environmental studies, also got the opportunity to perform the anthem at the World Food Forum’s (WFF) Global Youth even on October 16 alongside a traditional Peruvian dance group, Liberian singer-songwriter Mon Rovîa and an Indigenous Malaysian musician called Atama Katama.
Daily News on Sunday’s Dakarai Mashava recently spoke to Mpiwa on the historic honour conferred on her to write and compose the 2023 World Food Forum anthem and her budding music career. Below are excerpts of the interview:
Q: How did FAO and the World Food Forum get to know about you?
A: Back in mid-July 2023, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), was considering various artists who communicate meaningful messages to write the 2023 anthem for their annual World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event that would be running from October 16th to 20th.
My university friend, who was interning at the FAO in her third and final month, got an idea to submit my portfolio as an artist recommendation for the flagship planning team.
Having had a discography of about nine songs at the time available for streaming worldwide, these songs, along with my previous projects (like for example the Guinness world record breaking ZiMarimba Fest in 2018), as well as the performance videos that were available online, it was a process of trusting that my art would speak for itself.
After about a month of hoping and praying, I received an email that the FAO team was considering me as the WFF 2023 anthem writer and singer. It was an unbelievable honour!
Q: What were you expected to do once FAO settled on you as the WFF anthem writer?
A: The FAO team reached out to me in request of writing and composing a song in light of the theme: “Transforming agrifood systems accelerates climate action.”
After arranging a zoom meeting in a bid to get more information and familiarisation with the workings of the UN and the FAO, the FAO team was delightfully surprised to know that my university major and minor and passions are international relations and environmental studies.
I would describe it as having understood the assignment. They requested that I “write a 1.5 to 2 min anthem that highlights the 2023 theme and also focus on youth and unity”. Although I got it, it was a challenge. The first thing I thought was how was I going to do all of
Mpiwa Gwindi with FAO director general QU Dongyu (second from left).
that in a two-minute song? Additionally, lyrical drafts were to be submitted in the first half of August.
I had a bit under one month to write lyrics, the next month to compose an upbeat tune, and a few weeks of concurrent recording, mixing and mastering so that I could have the song ready by the 1st of October in preparation for the international event on the 16th of October.
I was also scheduled to perform live at the flagship event at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from the 16th to the 20th October.
Q: You wrote the WFF anthem but who produced it?
A: I wrote the song and workshopped the lyrics through firstly songwriting (writing a song from scratch), and toplining (writing lyrics based on an existing beat) once my producer and I settled on an upbeat track. Making a song with a catchy hook and a succinct message is a challenging albeit fulfilling experience.
Even more so on the beat itself, to which I give credit to Emmanuel Chiwanga, AKA Manuchie, a Zimbabwe-born and based producer who produces for Gemma Griffiths. He has also produced for Ishan and Tamy. Manuchie’s own tracks brought to life my Afrobeat-esque ideas and chords. He is a phenomenal producer who has produced two of my songs: Mamuri / In You / En Toi (which has a total of about 50 000 streams) and Tamba Mwana, my addictive Amapiano track.
Q: What does this recognition mean to you?
A: For me, it is an honour to write, sing and perform a song that identifies with not just what I know and care about (youth and unity and innovation) but also what others believe in. It is so powerful when you sing a song with a message. And it is also so much fun when it is catchy.
Even me I love the song. I am not even tired of it! Being recognised by a major international institution like the UN and the FAO is empowering. It also shows the support that is there for art in the environmental sector, which is an untapped resource. I am proud and honoured to be a vessel for bringing such awareness and fun.
Q: Apart from the FAO theme song, what other tracks have you done?
A: Right now, I currently have 12 songs available for streaming worldwide, six of which are from my 2022 EP, ‘Daughter.’ The other six are singles that I released from 2021 up to now.
“Together” lyrics
{INTRO RUNS} Mm mm mm
{VERSE 1} Our world has changed
New life and hope and promise to sustain
But what will always remain is young people leading way Kwayedza, tinoshanda (it’s bright out, we will work) Tinorarama munyika ino (we live in this world)
Zvinoreva kuti tese tine basa (this means we have a responsibility) La promesse est d’encourager le monde entier (we will make a promise)
Notre responsabilité est de creer l’égalité (our responsibility is to create equality)
CHORUS}
To see the world heal
To see the world grow
We will give, we will sow with grace
Challenges we embrace
Together, yeah
Together, yeah
Together, yeah
Together, yeah
Ensemble, yeah (together)
On fait ensemble (we do together)
Ensemble, yeah
On fait ensemble
{VERSE 2}
In harder times
We break the chain to unify
Pamwe chete tinokunda (together we will win)
Tikabatana tinobudirira (if we come together we will succeed)
Tiri vadiki asi tinokwanisa (we are young but we are able)
Hamuzive kuti tiri vanhu veNyasha? (Don’t you know we are people of grace?)
CHORUS}
To see the world heal
To see the world grow
We will give, we will sow with grace
Challenges we embrace
Together, yeah
Together, yeah
Insieme, yeah (together)
Insieme, yeah
Ensemble, yeah (together)
On fait ensemble (we do together)
Insieme, yeah
Insieme, yeah
Together, yeah
SPOKEN WORD (with french outro)
Je veux que tout le monde guérisse (I want the world to heal)
We also want to see the world advance
Sustainably, inclusively Sevanhu vechidiki tinogona kusimudzira nyika yedu (As young people, we can uplift our world)
Et chaque jour, nous ferons ensemble (And each day, we’ll do together)
