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Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Correspondent
Award-winning Imbube (African Acapella) group Amaqaqa has described this year as their year of achievement and growth.
The group is preparing to host its fifth show where they have promised to give a different taste of African traditional songs, social songs, dances, and evangelical and love songs.
The show that is scheduled for December 3 at the Bulawayo Theatre is going to take place in the afternoon to encourage family attendance. It will be held under the theme “Ubuciko Bomlomo”.
Celebrating four years of existence this year, the group has grown. When it started, it had four members with Khulekani Khabo as the founding member. The other group members left due to personal reasons, but that did not stop Amaqaqa from rising and now, it has grown to be an eight-member group.
Since its establishment, the group has successfully hosted four shows in different parts of the country.
Reflecting on their four-year stint, Khabo said the lack of sponsorship has been a major challenge for the group.
“Everything we do depends on sponsorship. Since we started, we’ve been approaching companies for help, but we’ve been hitting a dead end. Our passion and vision for what we do has helped us sacrifice our way to where we are today. But, we still wish to take our music outside Zimbabwe and possibly outside Africa as a way of celebrating our identity and showing the world who we are,” said Khabo.
He said the group is looking forward to building new partnerships with the hope of finding a way to get bookings outside the country.
Amaqaqa marketing personnel Owen Mthobi Moyo, who has worked closely with the group since establishment testified that this year has been nothing like the previous ones.
“This has been an eventful year as compared to the years before. This is what Khabo has always wanted, an improvement each year. His vision has always been for the group to be able to sustain its members and their basic survival needs, but I can safely say the group is on its way up.
“Partnerships and sponsorship are still the greatest challenge, but we’ve designed several strategies for next year and are looking forward to seeing them through,” said Moyo.
The forthcoming show will feature a performance by rising gospel group, Udonsi Lwabapostoli. Those who will attend, Khabo said, will have the privilege of getting snippets from the gospel group’s yet-to-be-released album.
In May, the group launched its second album titled ‘Ezosinga’ at the Bulawayo Theatre. It was later taken to Victoria Falls in August.
Amaqaqa boasts a Zimbabwe Music Award under the Best traditional/Ezomdabu act category. This year, they have been nominated for the Best Imbube acapella group at the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards (BAA) set for next month.
Online Reporter