Domingos Matias Honwana, better known as Xidiminguana, was born in the province of Gaza in the town of Vuthu, in the district of Bilene in 1936. The son of peasant parents, he herded cattle in his childhood, like many children in his area.
In 1949, Xidiminguana learned to play his first guitar, made of tin and fishing line, with a friend named Rafael Lhonguana, now deceased. That same year, the artist managed to buy a guitar from an acquaintance who had come from South Africa and was short of money to return to the neighboring country where he worked. Xidiminguana paid for the guitar with a 50-kilogram sack of corn.
Xidiminguana has been playing the guitar for over 70 years. With his unique way of playing, he has distinguished himself in music by his commitment to telling stories through music.
It was with this idea that on August 15, 1954, he arrived in the then city of Lourenço Marques (Maputo) and got his first job as a domestic worker in the Alto Maé neighborhood, where he remained until joining the company Portos e Caminhos de Ferro-de-Moçambique (CFM), where he worked until his retirement in 1996.
In 1962, already at CFM (Mozambique Railways), Xidiminguana had more time to practice his viola and took the opportunity to stroll through working-class neighborhoods, where he played for friends. It was these same friends who encouraged him to play and record his music.
In 1964 he auditioned at Rádio Clube de Moçambique and was accepted. That same year he recorded his first tape. “He began recording LPs, which were sold. And these works were done with other artists such as Alexandre Langa, José Guimarães, who have since passed away, and other musicians of his generation.”.
Xidiminguana is the author of popular songs such as “Xikona”, “Frelimo”, “Nilhayisse”, “Nikhome Nkata” among others.
Throughout his life, which spanned more than eight decades, Xidiminguana fathered eight children, five of whom would later pass away. He currently lives with his wife, Paulina Macuiane, his son Bernardo Domingos, an accomplished guitarist, and his grandchildren.
His daily routine consists of working in the studio, performing at concerts when they come up, and taking care of his family and home in the Maxaquene C neighborhood, near the Khalene Municipal Market, popularly known as the Compone Market.
Apathany wishes this icon of Mozambican music a shower of blessings on his birthday.
