A thumb piano found in many parts of Africa. Each tribe has a distinctive style of instrument and mbiras vary widely in appearance, size, materials and tuning.

The form known as kalimba in Eastern Central and South West Africa is usually made from a board box or calabash with wooden or metal keys attached to the top. Often the metal keys are made from old spoon handles, bicycle spokes or spring wire cut and hammered to the desired shape. The usual style consists of from 4 to 20 metal tongues mounted across a bridge attached to a wooden box, board or gourd resonator, often with sound holes. Sometimes, jingles or beads are added to the keys to create a rich, buzzing tone. The pitch of each key can be changed by fixing wax to its free end, or by increasing or decreasing its length.

Plucked with fingers or thumbs, these instruments produce a liquid, mellow, percussive music, sometimes described as similar to a music box or light rain. The mbira is used in many contexts: for solos, vocal accompaniments, small groups, and religious ceremony. Among east African peoples, the delicate sound of the mbira is said to create a link between human and spiritual worlds, enabling the trance possession of people by spiritual beings.

Depending on the context, these instruments may be played singly or in pairs. Among the Shona nations, ensembles of up to 20 mbira players performed at ceremonial events. Mbiras travelled with African people to South, Central, and North America and to the Caribbean, particularly during the slave trade. In Brazil, these instruments are called a marimbao. In the Americas, mbiras are a vibrant expression of the rich heritage of the African peoples of these communities.