Chronicle Editor
Langalakhe Mabena
It was a night full of praise, worship, bliss and God’s presence as South African platinum-selling gospel artist Ayanda Ntanzi belted out hits on stage at the inaugural Bulawayo Gospel Festival, held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre on Africa Day.
This was the first time for the Spirit of Praise member to perform in the City of Kings, but according to his performance, one can say that the “Imimoya” hit maker was at “home” as he became a Psalmist, preaching through Godly melodies, interacting well with the crowd.
“The moment I was received at the airport, I felt the love and honour to be here in the city of kings. I don’t regret anything as we’re all gathered here for the sake of praising the Almighty through song,” said Ntanzi as he stepped on stage.
As the crowd cheered him after making his entrance speech, Ntanzi opened his set with “Ngena” – one of the songs, which announced his arrival to the gospel fraternity.
Disbelief could be visible on his face as his legion of followers were singing along to each and every song he performed. Some of the songs that he performed included “Nasempini”, “According to Your Grace”, “Isango” and
“Ngiyathanda” with “Imimoya” being the fans’ favourite.
He also dropped songs, which featured on his latest recording “According to Grace”.
Ntanzi, a lawyer by profession who frequently performs around the world, sacrificed attending the live recording of the Spirit of Praise 10, which was held on the same day at Sun-Bet Arena, Pretoria, South Africa. Despite his many commitments, he felt it was not ideal to cancel a show. He will join the multi-award ensemble for the second recording on 13 July at the Durban International Conference Centre (ICC).
The event hosted by Mzoe 7 and Coach M, was not about Ayanda Ntanzi, it was about the fellowship of the word of God and a number of local artistes also graced the stage.
Up-and-coming outfit iWorship were given a chance to be the first performers on stage and they managed to uplift those in attendance as they performed a number of famous gospel cover songs including Joyous celebration’s
“Bhekani uJehovah” and Mpumi Mtsweni’s hit, “Nang’ uMthokozisi”.
Mai Mwamuka entered the stage with maturity and proved why she became the People’s Choice at the Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards in 2022, as she kept music fanatics on their feet with her splendid performance.
Vusa Mangena, Siza Mdlongwa, Pastor Barack, Wenyasha and Kirah performed more of praise songs, which were energetic, giving those in attendance the reason to dance throughout the concert.
Lorraine Maplanka brought down many on their knees to pray to the Almighty as she belted a number of worship songs, proving her dominance and experience on the local music scene, as her prowess on the microphone connected man with God through worship and prayer.
Acapella group Family Voices mesmerised many with their unique set as they performed Splash music covers fused with famous gospel songs from Silindile’s “Uyinkosi” to Dalom Kids’ “Wosana”.
Mzoe 7 said it was a privilege to be the main host alongside Coach M on the Gospel show, which was full of bliss.
“Hosting a gospel event was a new and different experience. The path of emceeing is a new one for me, but I realised it’s natural and also requires a certain skill. I was exposed to a whole different crowd and setup in my career,” he said.
The organiser of the event Unathi Mdlaziba was satisfied with the crowd the festival managed to pull.
“This is the first time we’ve hosted this event and we’re impressed with the numbers we managed to attract. Of course, we might not have generated the money we invested in the project, but we’re on the right path.
“We’re happy to announce that the Bulawayo Gospel Festival will now be an annual event,” Mdlaziba said.
He said they took away some notes from the event.
“As starters, I think we didn’t do much marketing, but next time we’ll do thorough market research, approach churches and even go into the streets to tell people about the word of God and the wonders that happen through ministry. But all in all, we had a great time.”
Online Reporter