Dear Friends of Zimbabwe –
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Its with a heavy heart that I share with you that Cosmas Magaya, long-time friend and co-visionary as our Project Director of Nhimbe for Progress in Zimbabwe, as well as master mbira teacher and performer, father of four, husband, and headman of the Magaya village, passed on July 10,2020 in Harare. He is soon expected to be laid to rest in his rural home in Magaya Village, Mhondoro, Zimbabwe. Cosmas and his wife Patricia have been an incredible team bringing to fruition many dreams both personally and professionally.
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I’m sorry for the delay in sharing this news. I’ve been unable to write sooner…my body is still dumbfounded, just staring when I attempt to think or feel.
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He was surrounded by family members, and held dearly by his son, Mudavanhu, as he passed, bringing everyone comfort. The tests for Covid-19 were positive, so the family is isolating together in Mhondoro, and will be tested themselves soon.
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A Cosmas Magaya Memorial Fund has been set up to take donations that will help with medical expenses, burial and funeral costs, etc. Please find more information here as to how you can help!
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Donations here to Ancient Ways are also welcome to assist with Nhimbe moving forward. At this point nothing is clear, although Cosmas and I have been training his wife Patricia for a few years now as “the succession plan”.
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As two of my long-time marimba teacher-friends pointed out, “the work is not over, of course” and also encouraging words for us to “keep developments going in the area”. I think they get me. Both of them knowing Cosmas well, so also having insight into his determination to succeed with Nhimbe and commitment to take care of it. He used to speak of Nhimbe as his first child, with the second being Humwe, which he started with his daughter Tsitsi Hantuba. Both of these demonstrate his devotion to his humanity and his music. The suffering in Zimbabwe was not something he ever forgot about.
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Another old friend has put together a beautiful slide show on Facebook that has helped me tremendously. His sharing made it possible for me to get this blog actually out there, instead of saying to myself that I “should” be writing something. I’m very grateful for his help as well, to get this moving forward.
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Thank you all for the outpouring of your hearts. The depth of feeling you are sharing for this gentle giant of a man is enormous.
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Thank you for the ways that you reach out to the world around you, and hold it in appreciation, sharing your gratitude with others. We are here for a blink of an eye, relative to the cosmos. Life here on planet earth is such a precious moment in that time.