Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
THEY have advocated for reforms in environmental conservation and the importance of knowing self, now, the city’s new kids on the block, Bulawayo Children’s Choir, are set to take music enthusiasts to the dance floor with the release of a new song, “Dance Away My Sorrows.”
The song features renowned music producer and three-time Grammy-nominated artiste DJ Jabs (real name Bramwell Ndlovu) and is set to drop on Sunday.
In an interview, the choir’s director, Trevor Mawaka, said the idea to work with DJ Jabs was to align with the best in the business.
“We wanted to create a dance track, so we set out to find the best producer in Bulawayo and DJ Jabs’ name kept coming up. That’s when we knew he was the right person to guide us. Up until then, we’d done a lot of music with deep, heavy themes, but we felt it was time to loosen up a bit and make something for the kids.
“Children love to dance and we wanted to give them a song that lets them just be themselves. Every industry conversation I had, whether with friends or seasoned pros, kept pointing us to DJ Jabs and now, we understand why,” he said.
Recently, Mawaka hinted at plans to expand to 50 members, explaining, “When we’re on stage, we want to bring power and energy, something that really moves people. We want volume and that means having more numbers.”
The Bulawayo Children’s Choir has released two powerful tracks, “Igama Lakho (It’s All in the Name)” and “Banolila (Mother Earth is Crying)”.
Both songs have been making waves on local radio chart shows, resonating with listeners and showcasing the choir’s growing impact.
Mawaka is no stranger to the arts and certainly no novice when it comes to working with children.
In 2021, he founded the Charleston Trust Primary School Choir, made up of talented pupils from the school. Since then, the choir has captured the hearts of arts lovers in Zimbabwe and beyond with their vibrant and moving performances.
Recently, he collaborated with Rafiki Sawa Africa, a non-governmental organisation that works with children and youth in Kenya and assembled a 30-member children’s choir called Sawa Children’s Choir, which means “all is well” in Swahili.
“In Kenya, I learnt confidence. If I ever doubted my gift for working with children, that experience showed me I could do it. Back home in Bulawayo, I always had people I could call on for support. But in Kenya, I was in the deep end, it was just me or nothing.
“And still, music happened. That’s when I truly recognised the grace in my life when it comes to working with kids. I had no one to lean on, but somehow, music flowed and that gave me the confidence I needed.”
With years of experience as a performer, Mawaka has earned his place among the great mentors nurturing young talent. His dream is to see the children he is grooming rise to become household names in the arts scene, in the coming years. For him, it is all about “catching them young” and helping them perfect their craft from the very beginning. — @MbuleloMpofu
Bongani Ndlovu