In an unprecedented musical collaboration, local reggae connoisseurs, Transit Crew, will jam with Zimbabwe’s first mbira punk band, Chikwata.263, at Mannenberg on Tuesday night, the eve of Africa Day.
The reggae and mbira punk joint performance is set to be packed with musical sparks with both bands promising to dish out the best of their acts.
“We promise our fans a journey into African conscious music where we will be appreciating the contribution of music towards oneness, unity and development. Our oneness as Africans spread across the globe comes when we sing and dance. That’s when we reveal that we all come from one mother, Africa,” said said Chamunorwa Mashoko, Transit Crew’s manager.
Chikwata.263 which has been causing waves in underground musical circles with a sound that is original, cosmopolitan and scintillating, has also promised to turn the night into a feast of music.
“We’re putting rock effects on mbira, working on the continuity and change of the mbira sound. Once upon a time people said that the spirits would talk through the mbira but they did not listen. Now the spirits are shouting through our music,” said Hector Rufaro, the band’s mbira player.
Mashoko said that the aim of the show was to acknowledge the contributions that Africans have made to the world civilisation.
“Our message as artistes is: Falling is inevitable where division prevails. Hence, we are going to be singing mainly about the power of unity during the show,” said Mashoko.
On this year’s Africa Day the international community is recognising that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected.
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“This day offers a unique opportunity to redouble our efforts to fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance that affects people of African descent everywhere,” said Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“This celebration is to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution Africans all over the globe have made towards development in various aspects of life. However, as musicians we recognise the great contributions in music where we call names like Louis Armstrong, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Arrow, Winston Rodney, Dodd Coxson, Whitney Houston, to mention a few,” said Mashoko.
