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TOP local musical ensemble, Mokoomba, are set to share the stage with one of the greatest African artists of all-time, the legendary Salif Keita, and will rock a crowd of about 40 000.
Mokoomba will take part in the Festival sur le Niger (Segou Art), one of Africa’s largest festivals, which is held in Segou, Mali, where the main stage has a capacity of 40000 people.
It will be the 21st edition of the festival and it will feature music legends from across Africa, including Salif Keita, Sekouba Bambino and Amadou et Mariam.
Mokoomba will be the second group from Zimbabwe to perform at the festival.
They are following in the footsteps of the late Oliver Mtukudzi.
The legendary Tuku was the first Zimbabwean musician to perform at the festival.
Mokoomba spokesperson, Marcus Gora, told this newspaper that the band will enter their annual rehearsal camp for two weeks, starting on Monday, to work on a new album and their live performances.
He said they will be in camp for two weeks to develop new material for an upcoming album and to improve their live shows.
Gora outline that their performances have two formats and the first is a full-band live show featuring electronic instruments, which is ideal for large events and festivals.
The second format is semi-acoustic and it places a lot of emphasis on traditional sounds, making it suitable for indoor theatres and smaller venues.
Gora said Mokoomba were honoured to be among the headliners at the Festival sur le Niger (Segou Art) in Segou, Mali.
He said they were humbled to be invited to perform at one of the largest music festivals in Africa.
For this talented musical group from Victoria Falls, sharing the stage with legendary artists like Salif Keita and Amadou et Mariam will be a dream come true for them.
It is also due reward to Mokoomba who have transformed themselves into a musical group whose beat and stage performance appeals to audiences in Europe and the United States.
We have always maintained that our best musical groups should not only be content with capturing the heart and soul of the local music fans.
They should also strive to make an impact in foreign countries and before foreign audiences.
We have seen many local artists touring South Africa and England, in particular, where they have played before sizable crowds.
But, when you break it down you will see that the majority, if not all of the fans in the crowd, will be Zimbabweans who are based in those countries.
This is different from Mokoomba who play for foreign crowds, fans who will not even understand a word of what they are singing about but still find appeal in their music.
This is the real power of music and our leading acts should borrow a leaf from Mokoomba and they can probably find a way to penetrate the lucrative foreign market.
These boys from Victoria Falls are writing a beautiful story.
Online Reporter