derick.khumalo
Mthabisi Tshuma
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SUNGURA musician DT Bio Mudimba has done it once again and is turning heads for all the right reasons through the release of his latest project, a single titled Pakala Africa.
The song goes beyond entertainment to deliver a cultural and historical message rooted in the Zambezi Valley.
The track is built around five core themes. First, it is a celebration of African identity. Rather than to dismiss tradition as outdated, the song frames it as “a source of dignity, wisdom and identity” and urges listeners to embrace their heritage instead of abandoning it.
In his second enlightenment, the Kujata Jata hitmaker takes listeners back to life before modernisation. He paints vivid pictures of communities along the mighty Zambezi River, where people depended on nature, lived in togetherness and celebrated as one.
The song recalls storytelling around the fire, traditional dances and music from instruments like the Tunkobela the Tonga mbira drums and animal horns known as Ngoma buntibe. It also remembers children’s traditional games, creating nostalgia while preserving history for younger generations.
The third theme is unity which Mudimba highlights how culture once dissolved borders, with families and relatives crossing between Zimbabwe and Zambia to attend ceremonies and gatherings.
He also uses those memories to call on Africans today to rediscover unity beyond national lines.
Fourth is preservation, while acknowledging that civilisation has brought development, the song argues that Africans must not lose their language, customs, music, values and identity.
It serves both as a celebration and a call to safeguard what makes African communities unique. The song closes on a spiritual note.
DT Bio Mudimba said that the song represents African culture which also carries a marriage.
“Pakala Africais much more than a sungura song. It is a cultural and historical tribute to Africa, particularly to the Tonga people of the Zambezi Valley, while carrying a message that every African can relate to.
“Towards the end of the first segment, the song becomes inspirational by asking God to watch over Africa and Zimbabwe, to preserve African identity and strengthen love and unity among its people,” he said.
Mudimba says the inspiration came during Culture Day commemorations in Binga, Kariangwe, in 2023.
“That experience rekindled my appreciation of African culture and my pride in being a Tonga man and an African. It inspired me to tell the story of my people’s way of life before modern civilization transformed it.
“On a deeper level, l was driven by three desires to preserve history before it is forgotten, to restore pride in African identity and to inspire unity and love among Africans. It is not simply entertainment but rather a musical documentary. It teaches history, celebrates culture, evokes nostalgia, and brings to listeners hope and pride in being African,” said Mudimba.
He also added that the message will resonate far beyond the Tonga community.
“It is the kind of song that can resonate not only with the Tonga people but with Africans across the continent because its central message is universal: know where you come from, cherish your heritage, and carry it proudly into the future,” said Mudimba.
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