Blessing Chimanga is a percussionist and singer from Zimbabwe. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, he has toured internationally performing in Italy, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Argentina, Mozambique, and South Africa. Blessing has played with numerous ensembles, including Zimboita, a collaboration between Zimbabwean and Italian musicians that features Blessing on marimba and vocals. He also co-founded the Let the Drums Speak Festival in 2010, to engage his local community and showcase developing talent in Zimbabwe. Driven by passion and a singular drive to “live, dream, eat, see and smell music,” he believes he was “born to bring a change in this world for the better through music.” A recipient of a 2020 OneBeat Accelerator grant, Blessing is currently working on publishing and distributing a comprehensive educational and historical teaching guide for the marimba, an instrument central to the cultural heritage of Zimbabwe, in the form of a book, album, and series of videos.
Blessing Chimanga
