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Guva Rangu

Background

This song is sung with great joy and excitement prior to one’s death. The text is a request for family members to dig a grave on a rock, something that is difficult to ensure. However, in the Shona culture it is important to respect the wishes for the deceased, especially if they are elderly and highly regarded. In the end, they will have the grave on the rock and enclose the corpse inside. This song is commonly sung in schools, even though the theme of death is frightening but the song is not sung in the context of a funeral, but for the realisation that death is a reality