AFTER successfully releasing his debut album, Mauya (Welcome) in Sudan, Zimbabwe-born Josef Muchineripi, together with his multinational band, the Afro Acoustic Colosse, were set to bring the album to Harare next month.
Report by Tinashe Sibanda
Muchineripi, who works and lives in Sudan, is passionate about African music. He formed the band with seven other people from various African countries including Uganda, Congo, Kenya and Sudan after realising that they shared the same passion.
“When I formed the band my colleagues and I were playing (and some of them still play) in various bands in South Sudan and through some common friends and contacts we started rehearsing together,” said Muchineripi.
“We started doing some cover songs until gradually I introduced my songs to the group and these collective experiences have also shaped our messages and informed our mission.”
He said the album was a fusion of Afro-folk music with exciting electric guitar lines and other fusions.
He says he was happy the music had been well-received by the Sudanese considering that it was a different kind of music from what people were used to.
Muchineripi added that whenever they performed, people appreciated the music and made remarks about its distinctiveness.
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“I wrote nine of the songs on the album and the 10th is an instrumental composed by my bandmates. The album is largely inspired by my experiences and by my passion to communicate positive messages about Africa and our culture and how we can be better people,” he said.
“We have some songs in Luganda, Lingala and Swahili languages that we are currently rehearsing, but not ready for recording yet. We hope to record them targeting the East African audience. In the end we want to provide a diverse sound, as long as it is acoustic and has some African roots.”
Muchineripi said after releasing the album in Zimbabwe, he would have its official launch during the festive season.
He added that because their debut album had received a positive response, they were pressed to rehearse additional songs and continue to perfect their live performances.
The 10-track album includes songs like Tiripamwe, Jemanewadya, Dzoka Dzoka, Watokanganwa ka, Tigere, Hondo and Mauya amongst others. “Our mission is to communicate positive messages to the world about our culture, love, peace and the environment through folk music and dance,” he added.
