About Otto

Overview

Otto Gumaelius is a London based, Botswana raised, percussionist specialising in the Kwanongoma marimba and mbira nyunga nyunga of southern Africa. He writes and performs with his band, Otto & The Mutapa Calling, and teaches music from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana through his cultural arts and events company, Taste of Southern Africa. He is also a published author with a 1st Class Master of Arts Honours Degree in International Management. 

musical Background

Born and raised in Botswana, Otto started performing in marimba bands in 1998 in primary school, at the age of 11. He continued playing through his high school years in Botswana, studying under marimba pioneer and composer, Alport Mhlanga, with performances in Botswana and in neighbouring South Africa.

After relocating to Sweden in 2003, Otto joined Zimba Marimba Band, a high energy marimba band specialising in the music, dance and traditions of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. With Zimba, through the vision and passion of Peta Axelsson, Otto’s focus turned to the traditional music of Zimbabwe; learning from and performing with an array of internationally acclaimed musicians; working on marimba, mbira, dance, drumming and singing, with performances in and around Scandinavia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States of America. Highlights include performances for the King and Queen of Sweden in 2003, ZimFest in the USA in 2004, and being specially invited to perform at HIFA - Harare International Festival of the Arts - in 2007.

After graduating from university in 2010, Otto moved to London and worked on a number of his own projects as well as working with acts such as Flame Lily Arts, Afriquoi and Tsungai Tsikirai. In 2016, Otto quit his job as a project manager to pursue a full time career in music. He first formed African Marimba Music Ltd which specialised in marimba music workshops and performances with a focus on the traditions of southern Africa, before later broadening the scope of the company and re-branding it to Taste of Southern Africa. 

With almost 20 years of experience, and a need for his own voice, Otto put together his band, Otto & The Mutapa Calling, to perform a collection of his own original material as well as arrangements of the traditional songs he grew up listening to and playing.

In the summer of 2018, Otto released his debut album, Mvura Ichanaya, which is available for download or streaming on all major digital outlets, including iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Amazon.

Otto has also featured on recordings by Thornhill Marimba Band, Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band, Zimba Marimba Band, Afriquoi and Flame Lily Arts. He provided music for the documentary, Apes of Brecon Beacon (2017) and the BBC Radio 4 drama, Tribe of Two (2024).

Teaching

Otto began teaching during his teenage years in Sweden. He taught weekly marimba lessons to young people aged 8 – 18 at Staffanstorp's Community Music School, and was regularly invited to teach both youth and adult groups in Helsingborg and Astorp in Sweden. Otto led workshops in Iceland with Peta Axelsson in the winter of 2004 and has taught at Zimba Marimba International Marimba Camp in Sweden on several occasions.

Since forming his company, Taste of Southern Africa, Otto has run a vast number of marimba and mbira workshops at events and festivals in the UK and in Europe catered to people of all ages. Some of these include WOMAD, Tropical Pressure, Wilderness, ZimFest Paris, Southburgh Festival of World Music, The Moonlight Run, Heritage Zimbabwe and Africa Youth Arise Heritage Camp.

Otto also runs a weekly marimba and mbira workshop on Sundays in Bethnal Green, London.

Taste of Southern Africa

In 2017, Otto launched his teaching and performance company, Taste of Southern Africa - a platform celebrating the people and cultures of southern Africa. The organisation runs dance and music workshops, live music entertainment, jam sessions and events such as an annual cultural arts festival. In 2025, the company will expand to include group tours to southern Africa - starting with Botswana and South Africa.