The Sunday News
Langalakhe Mabena, Sunday Life Reporter
SIX-MEN international touring Afro-pop music band Mokoomba are set to raise the Zimbabwean flag high as they have registered their first 2018 1nternational nomination at the Songline Music Awards.
The awards which are slated for 20 October in London saw the Victoria Falls troupe nominated under the Best Group category, becoming the third artistes hailing from Zimbabwe to be considered for nomination by the prestigious awards after the legendary Oliver Mtukudzi and the Chimurenga music guru Thomas Mapfumo.
As the awards champions the wealthy of excellent music production across the world, their 16-track 2017 album titled Nyaradzo has proven to be of higher quality and meeting global music standards as it was the project which landed them the nomination.
Marcus Gora who is the manager of the band revealed that it was an honour and privilege to be nominated at the awards and it marks as a good start for the year 2017.
As Mokoomba are a raw export talent to emerge in the country, Gora also revealed they want to walk in the foot prints of the fathers of Zimbabwean music like Tuku and Mukanya and make the country proud.
“We are privileged that Mokoomba has recorded its first 2018 International nomination at the Songline Music Awards. Receiving the nomination at the first quarter of the year shows the group is destined for big things in the year.
“We are hopeful that we will clinch the gong and raise the country’s flag higher just like other Zimbabwean music ambassadors who have paved the international path for Mokoomba like Thomas Mapfumo and Tuku,” said Gora.
Mokoomba is a six man band which comprises of Mathias Muzaza who is a lead vocalist and percussion player, Trustworth Samende who specialises on lead guitar, Abundance Mutori who plays bass, Donald Moyo who takes care of the keyboard department, Ndaba Moyo who plays drums and Miti Mugande who is a percussionist.
All the members of the band are backing vocalists.
They sing in Zimbabwean indigenous languages like Tonga, Shona, Ndebele and English, specialising in musical genres like reggae, funk and soukous which all fall under the umbrella term African pop music.
