Chronicle Editor
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
IN life, troubles are inevitable.
One way to deal with problems is to face them head on and one man to tell you all about that is Amaqaqa’s leader, Khulekani Khabo.
His problem was his longing to belong to a group that would better reflect his beliefs.
In 2018, he decided to establish an imbube group that he would call Amaqaqa.
“The need for me to identify myself with a group that would better reflect my beliefs was a steep ascent that required me to climb. That is basically how the group was formed,” said Khabo.
Three years on, he is leading the all-male Isicathamiya ensemble for the Roil BAA for Outstanding Imbube/accapela Group/Act award against Great Stars and Focus Acapella.
Khabo recollects how relocating to Zimbabwe helped him establish Amaqaqa.
He “tried in South Africa with some men, but time-management disturbed proceedings.”
Amaqaqa are all about spreading their identity and will do so on the 27th of this month at the Bulawayo Academy of Music.
They will be supported by Nomore Allah Sibanda for a show that would have revellers getting a taste of Amaqaqa’s Ibhod’eshisayo album.
Songs sung in IsiNdebele hold the lion’s share of the album and most of them are a social commentary.
“We sing about life in general as we have songs like Izifo where we lament our loved ones who succumbed to Covid-19 and other diseases,” commented Khabo.
When asked about the Roil BAA nomination, Khabo revealed that the nomination was unexpected.
“We are the only small group in our category and we didn’t expect to be nominated. We give credit to God and the people who love and follow our genre of music,” commented the group leader.
The eight-man group “is the only one with a amapiano song.”
The group also takes pride in their versatility when it comes to song compositions.
Apart from IsiNdebele, Amaqaqa also sing Nyanja, Tonga and English songs.
The Bulawayo ensemble hopes that their performance during this year’s awards ceremony will be a celebratory one, draped with shiny Roil BAA silverware. – @eMKlass_49.
Online Reporter