M'Saho — Timbila Festival in Zavala

The festival

In Zavala, in Inhambane province, the M'Saho gathers annually in August the timbila orchestras of the Chopi people, these giant wood xylophones whose ensembles can count up to thirty instruments. The ngodo — a sung and danced suite composed for the occasion — vibrate the entire village, between virtuosity of the masters and energy of the timbila dance. The Chopi tradition has been inscribed since 2008 on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

It's a transmission party: the elders compose, the young learn, and all Zavala beats the pace of mwenje wood.