VONANI BILA
Vonani's Choice
Mabulu – Maldeyeni
Chiwoniso Maraire – Nhemamusasa
M. D. Shirinda & Gaza Sisters – Sapota
Joaquim Macuácua – Khombo África
Kassav – Ou lé
Sam Fan Thomas – Si Tcha
Paul Simon – I Know What I Know
Harry Belafonte – Paradise in Gazankulu
Oliver N’Goma – Saga
Ghorwane – Mamba ya malepfu
Ghorwane ft. Dj Ardiles – Mussakaze
Valanga Khoza – Song For My Father
Regarding My Seleckta/ music section; this music includes the spiritual and ancestral mbira songs of Stella Chiweshe and Chiwoniso Maraire (Zimbabwe); the protest marabenta tracks from Mozambique by Joachim Macuacua. In his song, “Khombo Africa”, he laments the gruesome civil war that claimed countless lives and destabilised Mozambique; bringing any prospects of growth to the ground. He mentions the victims who succumbed to the violence waged by the vigilante group, Renamo. Other songs in the mix decry the persistent poverty that is endemic in rural areas. One example of such a song is diva Makhadzi’s “Zwivhuya”. In MD Shirinda’s 1983 track, “Sapota”, I am nostalgic about the original Tsonga guitar and drum beat championed by Shirinda and Tsonga/Shangaan music pioneers. It is the same beat that attracted Paul Simon to work on the adapted track, “I Know What I Know”. The other part of the mix is dance music, and my favourite is zouk as can be noticed in Oliver N’Ngoma from Gabon and the French group Kassav. This sample of music has sustained my interest in the arts.
Best regards,
Vonani