Chronicle Editor
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
OVER the years, Black Umfolosi have established themselves as the torch bearers for Zimbabwean artistes touring abroad, setting professional standards that artistes that have come after them still strive to match.
Such have been their globe-trotting adventures that few imbube lovers can claim to have watched Black Umfolosi while they are at home.
As they celebrate 41 years in the industry, Black Umfolosi is set to illuminate the City of Kings with a performance at the Bulawayo Theatre on 3 November.
According to Nhimbe Trust, the gig represents an all-ideal opportunity “or all those who have feasted on their music, and especially for those who have yet to.”
The gig is meant to give audiences a chance to appreciate a group that has shaped imbube in Zimbabwe after independence.
“It’s a fine opportunity to pay tribute to their legacy in magnificent style with a cultural journey packed with joy and life, music that speaks to the soul, that tells unseen stories, and celebrates the colorful culture that binds us all,” he said.
After four decades, Sotsha Moyo is the only remaining member of the original founders who met and formed the group, as they sang in IsiNdebele for their own entertainment with some members leaving the country over time, and some sadly passing on.
The group has gone through some changes but amid all those changes they have been working, teaching, delighting audiences and while passing the baton of Imbube to younger artistes to continue.
Altogether Black Umfolosi recorded 14 albums between 1990 and 2023, and Sotsha himself has recorded eight solo offerings.
Marking their place in history, Black Umfolosi’s 1980 composition “Happy Birthday to you Zimbabwe” when the country attained Independence earned them a highly publicised performance at the signing event for the famous 1987 Unity Accord, where they followed up with “Unity”. The song struck the right chords and a standing ovation from the auditorium, and shot to stardom, immediately becoming a soundtrack of the annual Unity Day celebrations aired on rotation on national radio and television.
In the last decade their music has won six awards in Zimbabwe for Best Acapella, Lifetime Achievement, Cultural Ambassadors, and recognition and appreciation from a local arts foundation and a community in Wales, UK.
Online Reporter