ZRP welcomes the first female Trumpeter.

By Dickson Bandera

Historically, the musical landscape world over has struggled to produce female buglers and trumpeters, with only few names such as Christine Kamau of  Kenya,  Alicia Rau, Ingrid Jenson and Alison Balisom (all British), having made it to the top thus living this class of instruments a patriarchal domain.

In their quest to explain this anomaly, scholars, analysts, reviewers and writers from across the world have posted diverging explanations, but there is general consensus that lower lung capacity and embouchure ability in women are some of the common impeding factors.

All this, however, is sheer hypothesis to Constable Enita Bvute of the Police Band who has fashioned a high-octane record by becoming the first female to play the bugle and trumpet instruments in the history of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Bvute has written her name in the annals of police history, joining Sgt Patience Skosana-the first female Drum major, Inspector Massive Mufushwa, first female piccolo player and Sgt Fungai Togarepi who is the first trombone player.

Currently putting aesthetic touches to her skills, Cst Bvute has already proved her mettle and heralded a stellar future by impressively performing at high profile stages that includes quarter guards, and burial of members in and around Harare.

Delightfully, she is performing routine time keeping calls (short musical tunes) at Morris Training Depot with success. No female has ever done this before.

This laudable progress comes at a time when the gospel of women emancipation and empowerment world over is spreading like summer fire while fruits of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Women’s Network are ripening, with the harvest also proving plentiful.

Trumpet and bugle is a pair of brass instruments played by the Band Trumpeters, a section responsible for sounding ceremonial musical calls at state, police, and public occasions. Players of these instruments are known as Trumpeters or Buglers owing to names of these instruments.

Technical facts have it that these instruments need great pressure, long and sustained breath and high embouchure ability due to their lack of valves, finger holes, or slides. More so, the fact that at times the player goes on solo performances as opposed to a band or orchestra where the affair is for a team, makes boldness, composure and confidence key qualities.

This reporter caught up with Constable Bvute just after a recent graduation parade at Morris Depot and she chronicled some interesting curves in her career, highlighting that she never dreamt being a Bugler, but how events sequentially unfolded, remains a mystery to her.

“It’s all fun because I was chosen through casting of lots in 2008 at a recruits send off church service just before our graduation parade,” said Cst Bvute.

“I was elected by Chief Inspector Teddy Zhou (the current D.C.I Morris Depot) who was the acting Depot Chief Inspector, when he simply casted his stick of authority to choose one female who was to complement the number of recruits from our stream to join the Police Band which was on an expansion programme at that time.”

 “I cried when the stick independently fell on me and since I viewed band as a ‘fixing place’ it took some days to heal. This incident, however, taught me that God’s ways are not our ways. Sometimes He chooses what is best for us and if I had gone where I thought was good for me, maybe I wouldn’t be talking to you about this,” she added.

Thereafter, events continued to unfold with successive steps leading to where she stands today.

She went to complete her music theory training at the band-training wing and joined the Band Trumpeters section in 2010 as an administrator. She was later moved to the operatives domain and this saw her being placed under two trainers, Sgt Abraham Maketo and Cst Freedom Sibanda who guided her through the practical lessons until she mastered the skills and competencies required.

By the end of 2011, Cst Bvute was able to sound most of the bugle calls under supervision and had perfected half her targets. Her top caps included her immaculate show at a Quarter guard in November 2011 where her performance proved her determination before the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Joice Mujuru. These high-profile duties are usually reserved for the ‘big guns’ in the section.

Her exploits in 2012 attests that all is rosy at that place where she viewed as a ‘fixing place. More importantly, she got truth that stories of immorality of women in the music industry are just mere lies and misconception in our society.

She therefore seeks to demystify these misconceptions, saying behavior is more premised on individual values than the environment.

“You hear people saying ah vakadzi vekuband kaava hapana zviripo apa (these are female band members of loose morals) yet we are just performing police duties. I don’t think there are any police duties which make one immoral.”

“After all, behavior of adults depends on individuals’ values; otherwise one cannot be good or bad because she or he is at the Police band. Band is a section just like any other in the organization with its responsibilities complementing to the accomplishment of our organizational goals,” she added.

Member in charge Trumpeters, Assistant Inspector Obert Magebede is highly elated with his subordinate’s achievements, indicating that she has broken the ice and the Trumpeters section has begun training more females after discovering the possibility.

“She has proved that women can just be as good as men if given the chance and support. As such we have responded positively by recruiting more female players whom we are currently training and we expect our new crop of female bugle and trumpet players in the near future,” he added.

 Constable Bvute is happily married and blessed with two kids.