BOOK REVIEWS 143Making Music: Musical Instruments in Zimbabwe Past and Present ByC. Jones. Harare, Academic Books, 1992, xxiii, 183 pp., ISBN 0-949229-22-9,Z$27,0O.Making Music is a teachers' handbook intended as a source of informationfor those Zimbabwean music teachers both at primary and secondarylevels who want to make their music lessons constructive, practical,informative, interesting and relevant to young Zimbabweans.Although the focus of the book is on instruments (in particular thoseinstruments which are indigenous to Zimbabwe) and their construction,this information is placed in its social and historical context.A prefatory glossary clarifies technical words used in the main bodyof the text and two appendices provide information in concentrated formon the science of sound and the reading of the tablatures used in the book.There are extensive notes at the end of each chapter, acknowledgementsto both researchers and performers and a bibliography, all of which giveteachers ample opportunity to check the accuracy of the information andto further their own research.The strength of the book lies in its thoroughness and attention todetail, which is understandable when one considers the author'sbackground in science education. With reference to mbira, for example,there is a full description, with line drawings and measurements, of how tomake a karimba; there are descriptions of all the major mbira (and someminor ones) found in Zimbabwe; playing techniques for each type ofkarimba and the social uses of its music. This approach is followed foreach of the major instruments.The different ethnic groups in Zimbabwe are given balancedrepresentation. It is surprising how many Ndebele names the author hasunearthed Š especially as Ndebele traditions are largely vocal and thefocus of the book is on instruments. Every attempt has been made to findterms in as many languages as possible for each instrument and for thematerials used in constructing them. In addition to the Shona and Ndebeleterms, Tonga, Ndau, Sena, Zulu, Kalanga and Chopi names also appear.The book has some weaknesses. The editing is often poor; the typo-graphical errors and inconsistencies in the book are numerous. The printingof the text and line drawings is clear but the photographs appear grey andindistinct; for example, on page 66 the string in the chipendani picture ishardly visible. The overall standard of the photography is adequate butsome pictures lack style and personality and these cheapen the appearanceof the book. The presentation of the pulse-line transcriptions is particularlypoor. Often a transcription finishes half way down the page and the rest ofthe page is filled with empty staves. In the chromatic scale on page 178,the accidentals are incorrectly written and there is no clef.The coverage of the various chapters is uneven. The author seems torealize that in many areas her book may be almost the only suitablesource material available and so she tries to cover every angle relevant tothe subject.As regards language and style, there is evidence that the author hashad difficulty in deciding at what level to pitch the tone of the book. ForBOOK REVIEWS144example the language in chapter three is rather simplistic that in chapterSi suitable for a general adult readership, while the appendix onsound is complex and technical. This is the greatest problem with thehonk its approach to its readership. It is meant as a guide to all musicteachers in Zimbabwe but the level of knowledge among music teachers inthis country differs greatly from school to school. In one institution, themusic teacher may have a thorough grasp of Western music and is simplylookina for a source book to provide detail relevant to the Zimbabweancontext in another school, the teacher may have a detailed knowledge ofAfrican'music but have had little or no formal training in the subject.However if there are areas in the book which are difficult to follow, oneshould remember that the book is meant as a complement to working withmusicians who would describe and explain their work and perhaps provideassistance with the building of instruments.But all things considered, it is a pleasure to have, at last, acomprehensive, well-researched, scientifically accurate resource book onan important aspect of Zimbabwean music which is of practical use formost music courses in this country. Even so, we still need many morebooks like it.Kunzwana Trust K- A. GODDARDAfrican Traditional Religions in Religious Education: A Resource Bookwith Special Reference to Zimbabwe Edited by G. terHaar, A. Moyo andS.J. Nondo. Utrecht, Univ. of Utrecht, 1992, x, 224 pp., ISBN 90-393-0065-3,Z$20,00.This book is the result of a project on Religious Education carried outjointly by the University of Zimbabwe and the University of Utrecht over aperiod of seven years and is the last of a series of three publicationsissued by the project. It is intended to be a resource book in the hithertoneglected area of African Traditional Religions for use by teachers ofReligious Education. This is in keeping with the avowed intent ofZimbabwe's Ministry of Education and Culture to adopt a multi-faithapproach to religious studies. This book does not set out to be a text bookbut rather to serve as a resource book with a genuine multi-faith approach.The editors contend that African Traditional Religions constitute theappropriate context against which other religions should be studied ifreligious concepts are to be communicated meaningfully to the people ofZimbabwe. To date, despite government policy that all Religious Educationcurricula adopt a multi-faith approach, the curricula remain, in fact,basically Christian in content. One of the reasons for this is almost certainlythe lack of any other type of material available to teachers and curriculumdevelopment officers. The contention of the editors of this book thatAfrican Traditional Religions should form the background for the study ofother faiths is 'a challenge to the churches' who, understandably, havetended to view multi-faith issues against a Christian background. I wouldalso add that the editors' contention is a challenge to those possessing the