Zim artistes shine in Swaziland

Mica Singano in Swaziland
Zimbabwean artistes hoisted the national flag high in Swaziland at the recently held MTN Bushfire International Festival with delightful performances. First on stage was Mokoomba, the winners of Songlines magazine’s Best African Newcomer 2013, who thrilled the crowd with their Afro-fusion and tantalising Tonga music.
The crowd went into a frenzy and could not get enough of the music.

The overly excited crowd burst into loud cheers as Mokoomba took a bow after their magical performance.

“We want more, we want more,” the crowd screamed as they got off stage.

“It feels good to be Zimbabwean,” Qinisani Tshuma a Zimbabwean engineer who attended the show said.

Up next was Bongo Maffin who took the crowd to Zimbabwe again with their hit “Kura Uone”.

The group also spiced up their act with their classic hits including “The Way Kungakhona” and “Thathi Sgubhu”.

Another Zimbabwean act Dwayne Kapula did his thing well when he performed Chimurenga music.

The show went on uninterrupted with Percy Nhara of Nehoreka, who is talented but underrated musician in Zimbabwe, also doing well.

Apparently, Nhara is set to collaborate with one Swazi artiste called Nomsa whose earlier performance had everyone on the dance floor.

According to festival director Jiggs Thorne, both Nhara and Nomsa are set to return at the MTN Bushfire 2015

But the best was yet to come. Superstar Oliver Mtukudzi was the cherry on top when he appeared on stage.

Tuku, as the granddad of music is lovingly called, started his act by narrating the Zimbabwean tradition.

“‘Where we come from music is food . . . .where we come from we use music for breakfast or supper, where we come from you do not sing if you have nothing to say,” he sang much to the delight of the audience.

Tuku churned out hit after hit, serenading music lovers on journey into sound.

MTN Bushfire is Swaziland’s internationally acclaimed three-day arts festival that celebrates creative expressions while promoting social responsibility, stimulating the economy and drawing artistes and tourists from across Africa and the world.

Each year, a multi-generational global community of up to 20 000 people “bring their fire” to the scenic Marlkerns Valley to experience the eclectic Pan-African and international line up of live music, theatre, poetry, film, circus, dance and visual arts.