Zimbabwe’s Edith WeUtonga Shines on Prestigious Folk Album of the Year Shortlist

Zimbabwean artist Edith WeUtonga has been shortlisted for the inaugural Folk Album of the Year Award for her upcoming album Varipasi (image source)

HARARE/LONDON — Zimbabwean vocalist, bassist and composer Edith WeUtonga has earned a place on the inaugural Folk Album of the Year shortlist, a landmark achievement for both her career and Southern African music on the international stage. Her forthcoming album Varipasi, set for release on 9 December, is one of only nine works selected from 146 submissions across Britain and Ireland. The award, backed by the Rochdale Development Agency, is part of the lead-up to Rochdale’s 2026 Town of Culture celebrations.

WeUtonga’s nomination has been widely celebrated within Zimbabwe’s arts community, with critics noting her longstanding influence in Afro-jazz and traditional Zimbabwean soundscapes. Her presence on the list places her alongside leading contemporary folk artists from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Early listeners have described Varipasi as emotive, percussive and deeply rooted in African storytelling, qualities that organisers say embody the international spirit of the new award. The winner will be announced on 17 March at Rochdale Town Hall, in a ceremony attended by 200 musicians, industry leaders and cultural figures, and streamed online.

The shortlist spans a range of folk traditions and innovations. At 90, Peggy Seeger is recognised for what is believed to be her final solo album, Teleology, while 25-year-old Highland clàrsach player Grace Stewart-Skinner brings youthful energy through her release Auchies Spikkin’ Auchie. Irish and Welsh entries include Poor Creature’s All Smiles Tonight, Barry Kerr’s Curlew’s Cry and Cynefin’s Shimli. Experimental approaches come from East Belfast’s Joshua Burnside with Teeth of Time and the instrumental duo Spafford Campbell with Tomorrow Held. The Gigspanner Big Band completes the list with their intricate album Turnstone.

For Zimbabwean creatives working at home and in the diaspora, WeUtonga’s recognition reflects a growing international appetite for African-rooted folk narratives. Her fusion of mbira textures, Afro-jazz bass lines and Shona storytelling broadens the global understanding of folk as a genre shaped by many traditions. Scholars have commended Varipasi for its blend of ancestral resonance and contemporary commentary, aligning with global shifts in roots music where authenticity and innovation increasingly converge.

The award is curated by Sound Roots in partnership with the Folk on Foot podcast, hosted by Matthew Bannister. Each album will be profiled in a nine-part series running from 3 to 11 December. The judging panel includes broadcasters, festival directors and musicians such as Mark Radcliffe, Jude Rogers, Anna Massie, Georgia Ruth and Philip King, with Jury Chair Kellie While praising the “vibrancy and diversity” of this year’s entries. Bannister described the shortlist as “a constellation of talent.”

Within that constellation, Edith WeUtonga stands out as a global ambassador for Zimbabwean creativity and a powerful voice in the expanding landscape of contemporary folk.