Mokoomba
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Mokoomba is a Zimbabwean musical group, originally from Chinotimba township,
Victoria Falls Victoria Falls (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "Thundering Smoke/Smoke that Rises"; Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe), Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River, located on the border betwe ...
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. The group sings in a number of languages including English, Luvale,
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, Ndebele and Shona. Mokoomba takes its name from a Tonga word that connotes deep respect for the Zambezi river and the vibrant life along its banks. Mokoomba combine traditional and modern instruments and a variety of international pop and pan-African styles – including
soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in ...
, funk and reggae – to bring together different cultures from Southern, East and Central Africa. Mokoomba has released three albums so far, and is currently signed to the afrocentric German record label, Outhere Records. Mokoomba has toured widely, and won critical praise at home and abroad. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Robin Denslow called Mokoomba "the best young band in Zimbabwe", while ''Afropop World Wide''s Banning Eyre described them as "quite simply the most impressive band Zimbabwe has produced in recent memory". Jon Pareles of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called lead singer Mathias Muzaza's vocal range "riveting" and "griot-strength". Issac Chirwa praised Mokoomba as "Zimbabwe's best band" in Zimbabwe's ''Daily News Live''.


History

Formed between 2002. and 2007, the group began its professional career in 2008. Their performance at the Music Crossroads InterRegional Festival (IRF) in Lilongwe, Malawi, won them a European tour and they recorded their first album with six titles, ''Kweseka''. Their songs deal with Zimbabwean life, the
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epidemic, and social ills, with a substantive message to keep hoping. Their 2009 tour was a success in major European cities such as Stockholm, Brussels, Oslo, Barcelona, Bilbao and Amsterdam, leading to a new tour in 2010 across Europe. Other festivals include the Colors of Ostrava Festival in the Czech Republic, the Couleur Café festival in Brussels, the Meyouzik Festival in Luxembourg, the Pirineos Festival in Spain, and the Afrika Festival Hertme in the Netherlands. Mokoomba played at the annual Harare International Festival of the Arts in 2013, and won critical acclaim at home with more recent releases and concerts. Their second album ''Rising Tide'', produced by the Ivorian singer
Manou Gallo Manou N'Guessan Gallo (born 31 August 1972 in Divo, Côte d'Ivoire), is a West African singer, bandleader and musician of African popular music, playing the electric bass guitar. Life and career Brought up by her grandmother, Gallo first pe ...
, was very well received by the public and the critics, and was nominated in the Songlines Music Award 2013 in the "Revelation" category, awarded by Songlines magazine. Mokoomba also made their UK television debut in October, 2012, performing songs from ''Rising Tide'' on Later... with Jools Holland. After the release of ''Rising Tide'', Mokoomba toured in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, including performances at the Couleur Cafe, Gnaoua World Music Festival, Paléo Festival,
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Sziget Festival Sziget Festival (, ) is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget ("Old Buda Island"), a leafy 108-hectare (266-acre) island on the Danube. More than 1,0 ...
, WOMAD festival, Gwanju World Music Festival in South Korea, and the Africa Now! festival at The Apollo Theater in New York City. In February 2017, Mokoomba released its self-produced third album ''Luyando'' on Germany's OutHere label, a stripped-down, mostly acoustic album that took their sound in a new direction. That same month Mokoomba made the cover of UK world music magazine Songlines. "Luyando" means mother's love the Tonga language. Songs on ''Luyando'' explore the vanishing traditions of Tonga and Luvale society. In 2017 Mokoomba toured ''Luyando'' internationally, making stops at the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, LA, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Norway's Førde Festival, Canada's Edmonton Folk Festival and the Nuits d'Afrique festival in Montreal, CA. In March, 2018 Mokoomba made their debut at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. In April, Mokoomba was nominated for a Songlines Award by the readers and editors of the U.K.'s Longlines magazine. Mokoomba was nominated in the "Best Group" category — their second nomination after taking home the "Best Newcomer Award" in 2013. In May, 2018 Mokoomba was inducted into the Afropop Worldwide Hall of Fame at a ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of Peabody Award Winning media organization Afropop Worldwide. Previous honorees include King Sunny Ade,
Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...
, Oumou Sangaré,
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Thomas Mapfumo Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo (born July 3, 1945) is a Zimbabwean musician. He is nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wie ...
. On September 8, 2018, Mokoomba is scheduled to perform at the
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
Festival in Berlin, Germany on a bill topped by Canadian pop star
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. The group appear on the fourth album
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, with guest vocals on the album's third song "Satisfaction Guaranteed". Mokoomba was the subject of the 2010 documentary film ''Mokoomba: From One River Bank to Another'', by Frank Dalmat and Francis Ducat.


Members

* Mathias Muzaza – lead vocals, percussion * Trustworth Samende – guitar, backing vocals * Abundance Mutori – bass, backing vocals * Donald Moyo – keyboard, backing vocals * Ndaba Coster Moyo – drums, backing vocals * Miti Mugande – percussion, backing vocals


Discography


Albums

* ''Kweseka'' (Zig Zag World), 2009 * ''Rising Tide'' (Zig Zag Word / Igloo Mondo), 2012 * ''Luyando'' (Outhere Records), March 2017


References


External links

* {{Authority control Zimbabwean musical groups Igloo Records artists