Chronicle EditorLeonard Ncube, [email protected]
VICTORIA Falls-abased isicathamiya group Ubuntu Bomuntu continues to scale greater heights with a call up to perform at State events.
The traditional imbube group was one of the performers at the 44th Defence Forces Day celebrations at Somhlolo Stadium in Lupane on Tuesday.
They performed a song Migalo Drug Abuse, which calls upon the nation especially young people to stay away from drug and substance abuse, a menace that is bedeviling the country.
“We are grateful to perform at such events representing our country and province. It shows that our leaders know and appreciate our work,” said Sibangilizwe Timo Sibanda, one of the group’s founding directors.
He said they were impressed by the turnout and appreciation of their music.
Sibanda said they sing about real social life issues and sometimes compose their music based on themes given to them by organsiers of events.
“In music if you see yourself leaving the stage and people continue to sing along it shows they appreciate and are happy. We always want to emphasise the issue of drugs, for people to stay away from abusing drugs and substances. We want a clean society so that we develop our country.
“We have songs that speak to national development, liberation and the vision of the nation. So we have what we call prime show and social show. In prime show we deal with prevailing themes whereby hosts give us their themes and we compose music along those lines while on social show we sing about issues in our nation,” said Sibanda.
The group recently released a seven-track album Umdlankunzi, an IsiNdebele word meaning bull eater.
Established in 1999 as a 10-member group, Ubuntu Bomuntu is left with eight members all male.
Ubuntu Bomuntu is well known for its polished performances at corporate and social gatherings in Victoria Falls and has also travelled across Southern Africa to Botswana, South Africa and Zambia.
The group is one of the dominant groups in Victoria Falls and has also been nominated for the National Arts Merit Awards and Bulawayo Arts Awards before.
Their first album was titled Africa My Home, followed by Ubuntu Bethu-Humanity, and then the new album Umdlankunzi which exhibits the maturity and growth of the group.
The album comprises of seven tracks, two of them gospel and five of pure traditional music.
All were recorded at Dab Three Events.
The tracks are Welcome Home, a song that welcomes and greets visitors to the tourist destination of Victoria Falls and is sung in different languages of Zimbabwe showing that Victoria Falls is a rainbow city and melting pot for all cultures, languages, races, and ethnic groups.
Cathu Cathu is the second track, and is derived from an IsiNdebele term that explains the movement of people from one point to the other. It is a gospel song that talks about the journey of Christians to the promised land of Paradise.
The third track, Inkanyezi is also a gospel song explaining a Bible verse that talks about the Wise Men from the East during the time of birth of Jesus Christ.
The song calls for God’s mercy to save his people from the world’s sufferings and calls upon him to open the Heavens for the righteous to go as it goes on to say “vulekani masango nanti izulu livaliwe” (open the gates).
Track number four, Social Media encourages citizens to be wary of social media but at the same time to be techno-savvy and move with the times.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that started in 2020 left the group and the whole society devastated and through the track Umhlaba, Ubuntu Bomuntu appeals to God on when the pandemic will end and people stop suffering and dying.
Esigodlweni is a thanksgiving song that celebrates the culture and values of the Ndebele people, taking people back to the founding King of the Ndebele, King Mzilikazi kaMatshobana and praises the King through his clan names.
The last track Migalo/Drug Abuse cautions citizens especially young people against using drugs. It teaches all young people to be responsible as future leaders hence they should stop abusing drugs and other substances and it is the song that carried the title of the album Umdlankunzi as drugs eat into one’s life and future.
-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter