ALLIANCE Francaise was on Saturday turned into a dome of pure African vocal beauty as the talented ladies of Nobuntu descended on the space to launch their second album titled, Ekhaya.
Their amazing vocal abilities caused the audience to develop goosebumps as it felt like a massive choir was singing and yet they were just five vocalists on the stage. The ladies, without any accompanying instruments sang in key throughout their tracks and all their parts were balanced and one thing that really stood out was the range of each member. Whenever each one of them got to sing, they displayed a high level of dexterity in terms of scaling from their low, mid and high range.
It was not just all about the vocals though, the ladies also showed off their dancing skills. It was as if you are watching the Soweto Gospel Choir performing as they managed to seamlessly synchronise their dances and vocals whilst complementing their grooves with tambourines and shakers.
Whilst the crowd was still trying to comprehend the amazing level of artistry on display, the ladies then introduced a surprise act, Tariro NeGitare. Armed with her guitar, Tari first dropped a solo track and then she was joined by Nobuntu and together they did a rendition of the track Chitima. That was just the cherry on top of the already delicious cake.
It was like a totally new track and Tari if clever, should record that version of Chitima. With all the aforementioned brilliance oozing out on stage, it then began to make sense why this group, though not really popular in Zimbabwe is making waves in European cities like Mokoomba and Siyaya just to name a few such ethnic groups that are representing Zimbabwe on the global stage.
They are indeed preserving Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage by performing their music the traditional way, keeping some of the ancient rhythms and dances alive.
“We are really humbled by the support we got from Harare as we launched our second album,” said the group’s public relations manager, Gilmore Tee soon after the group’s performance.
“We are building on the momentum we had with our launch in Bulawayo a few backs and now we will be proceeding to Victoria Falls, which will be our last stop locally ahead of our show in Norway where we will also be launching our album.
“We will keep pushing to get more locals to know about us and we will maintain our drive to keep Zimbabwe’s rich cultural heritage alive, for that is what makes us stand out on the global stage,” he added.
