Shamiso Yikoniko
Gradually making a name for her­self through playing music at funerals and memorial services, Daisy Chiguvare-Mukariri is giving a new dimension to the gospel music industry.

Doing amazing work with sungura and jazz music with a traditional flavour, Chiguvare-Mukariri has released her debut seven-track album titled “Mwari Vanoona.”
Despite facing challenges that are symbolic of any budding artiste in the music industry, the gospel songstress soldiered on to make her dream come true.
The band, which consists of nine members — lead and bass gui­tarists, a keyboard player, dancers,  and backing vocalists — has remained dedi­cated despite operating on a shoe-string budget.

Chiguvare-Mukariri is yet to acquire her own music kit and at times plays for free to make her music known by the world.
The title track, “Mwari Vanoona”, assures people that Jehovah sees and knows about our troubled lives and that he is our shelter and com­forter while “Vadikani”, the intro­ductory track, persuades people to love one another whilst they have time to do so.
“Pasi Handipedu” laments on the short time that people have on earth and encourages them to seek the kingdom of heaven whilst flesh and soul are still intact.

The song “Musandipe Mabanana” is a plea by someone on the deathbed who prefers to receive Jesus Christ rather than bananas.
Job’s story is pointed out in “Kuk­wenya” where the trials and tribula­tions that everyone goes through are being equalled to Job’s testing where everyone who calls upon the Lord will surely overcome the problems.
“Chingoti Sorry” is a song that seeks to encourage people to ask for forgive­ness all the time no mat­ter who has done wrong. The songstress further explained

that hatred will kill the person harbour­ing it.
“Joy” teaches a person to seek the kingdom of heaven and desist from finding other gods.
Chiguvare-Mukariri is a Christ­ian and assistant pastor at Emmanuel Fel­lowship in Mbare, where she also leads the choir of the church’s Praise and Prayer Cen­tre.

Meanwhile, Chiguvare-Mukariri believes that she has a calling to com­fort the bereaved and she is cur­rently working on a music proj­ect which seeks to comfort and bring messages of hope to the bereaved.
“I want to soothe the souls of those who will be hurting due to the loss of their loved ones. My motto is bidding farewell in style by produc­ing music that will relieve the trou­bled souls of the bereaved,” she said.

Chiguvare-Mukariri, who once worked in the funeral assurance industry, says she did extensive research on the internet and dis­covered that countries like China have professional mourners and realised that singers and funeral par­lours can work hand-in-glove in preparing quality and memorable funerals.

“I would like to work with funeral assurance companies and would love to give the bereaved my music for free, using funeral par­lours as distri­bution channels.
“I also hope that they would spon­sor the production of this music in the interest of their beloved cus­tomers,” she explained.
“It is a fact that when a person loses a loved one, they experience grief, stress and at times trauma and they need the help they can get to cope.
“Music can be the wings that can help individuals to soar like eagles above the dark clouds of tragic circum­stances and even the divi­sions that at times occur in times of bereavement.

“It enables us to realise that God is our peacemaker, in those moments when we are over­whelmed by sor­rows and feelings of hopelessness and that he is able to lift us up.”

Mukariri was born to what she jockingly calls, “a royal family” as her father was a headman.
She was edu­cated at Mount St Mary High School. She then studied for an Executive Sec­retarial Diploma and a Personnel Management Diploma at the Insti­tute of Personnel Man­agement Zim­babwe, before being employed by a funeral parlour. Her passion for working with bereaved families then emerged.

She is married to Brighton Mukariri and is a mother to four boys.