IT was a tripartite treat for fans that thronged ZOL Main Stage as artistes billed for the Dancehall Alliance ignited the show in solid performances at the ongoing Harare International Festival Arts (Hifa) on Thursday night.
BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA
All the anticipation surrounding the event amounted to a spirited show with Zimdancehall’s Mafia 19 King, Guspy Warrior, setting the pace by unpacking the Shona version of Shayne Ward’s Breathless, which has a reggae feel much to the adulation of the youthful crowd.
He then introduced Ghana’s Kaakie after his second track and the vibrant multi-award winning female artiste blended with ease regaling the audience.
Donned in a white costume which was short enough to attract a glance, yet long enough to cover the essentials, the Toffee Pon Tongue hit-maker proved why she is named Africa’s dancehall queen as she sang one track after another.
Speaking to NewsDay after her performance, Kaakie, born Grace Ocansey, said she loved the local reception of her music because fans were in sync with her throughout the show.
“I love Zimbabweans. When I was performing, I felt like we were doing it together because they were even dancing the way I was and some were singing along,” she said.
Although part of the crowd felt that Buffalo Souljah could have done better, he managed to keep fans waving and dancing like the other two artistes as he performed some of his famous hits like Izandla Phezulu and at one point preformed a duet with former Miss Zimbabwe Vanessa Sibanda.
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The Mufakose-bred artiste, currently based in South Africa, has bagged many continental awards and in his view, unity is the only thing that can make Zimdancehall grow beyond the country’s borders.
“Local dancehall artistes should unite if the genre is ever going to make it beyond Zimbabwean borders because unity is power and with it, we can take music to other places just as other industries feed us with their own,” he said, adding that he was set to engage with many local artistes this year.
Buffalo Souljah recently penned a song called Zimdancehall to the World where he collaborated with eight prominent musicians in the genre.
Meanwhile, as the curtain slowly closes on the country’s biggest festival, renowned Malian musician Salif Keita will perform on the same stage tomorrow in what is promising to be a show that will leave lasting memories of the legend’s astounding career.
