Amabhoza, Are Back !
By Sihle Nyathi……..posted 05/05/07
They really believe in the power of women and they would
want to go to the very ends of the earth to prove that. The group is none other than Amabhoza
who came into the scene with their hit single called Bhoza. They had come onto
the scene under the name of x2 but their song proved to be so popular, and the fans knew them by that name that they decided
to adopt that name.
Just like the proverbial phoenix which dies only to rise
again, the group Amabhoza is back. The band Amabhoza
had gone underground as they had joined the dance troupe Amavithikazi.
Zimazile Mguni said they had initially gone to Harare
to look for greener pastures and whilst they were there they were invited to join the dance troupe. For a while they enjoyed
being part of a dance but they decided that they should go back to their band.
“We want to announce that we are back and we are
currently in the process of working on our third album. Our first album was successful but our second did not do well because
of poor marketing. We are rebranding Amabhoza as we aim to make up for our absence
in the market. We have also decided to increase the number of people in our band to five so as to achieve stage balance. What
used to happen is that we were overworked on stage and it might have compromised the quality of our product. Prisca Mabhena,
Nothando Mguni and Eulander Muzondo have been added to our band, said Zimazile Mguni who is the group’s spokesperson.
It is interesting that it is indeed a sister affair with
the exception of Priscar Mabhena who is not related to others. The group said that they will not have a problem working together
as they practically grew up together but had gone in different directions as it was necessary to acquire different skills.
The sisters have also been working together as they were also part of the dance troupe Amavithikazi.
“We would like it to be put on record that we only
weaned ourselves from Amavithikazi.Working with the dance troupe has been a good
experience and we have improved our performance skills. We however decided to be true to ourselves and go back to our original
dream of being accomplished musicians, said Memory Muzondo.
Reviving the group is proving to be a daunting task especially
at a time when there is the economic recession. The band has increased and this means that they have to get more costumes.
The group has perfomed at a number of entertainment places and their star is definitely rising.
The group Amabhoza
performs Afro- Pop music and they have a live band. The group was trained under the Amakhosi theatre children’s programme
with the exception of Priscar Mabhena who started her career with Siyaya Arts.
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PANKE LODGE TO SPONSOR INAUGURAL SHOW OF NKAYI SUPER
SOUNDS
Written by Sihle Nyathi- posted 8/02/2007
Panke Lodge in Nkayi has responded to the appeals
for the sponsorship of the group Nkayi Super Sounds by pledging to host the Inaugural show of Nkayi Super Sounds at Nkayi
Community Hall on the 29th and 30th of next month. The proprietor of Panke Lodge responded to the call
made by Cont Mhlanga to sponsor the inaugural show of the group.
“We are holding this show at the end of March
and it is going to be a two day festival as it is a celebration of their success, it is also a launch and it is their first
show. We are sponsoring the show because the boys can show other talented youths from Nkayi that it can be done,” said
Mr. Obadiah Moyo.
Mr Moyo first met the group when they held the inaugural
Buntu Talent Show at Nkayi Community Hall in November 2006. During the course of the show the groups that performed there
were given hints on how they could break into the music industry. It was at this point that they got to know about Amakhosi
which houses the Ziyakhupha Music Stable. The Buntu Talent Show was hosted so
as to promote the cultural industries in the rural areas. The Talent Show had also incorporated the Miss Buntu Beauty Pageant
where the models were dressed in traditional attire and were also exhibiting cultural artifacts such as the traditional brooms
and the reed mats. The inaugural Talent Show was a huge success and it saw 12 rural groups participating and modeling being
done after the models had been groomed by models from Bulawayo.
Mr Moyo said that he had held the Buntu Talent Show
because there was a lot of talent in the rural areas which was untapped and if given the chance the youths from the rural
areas can develop to a point where their talent can match or even surpass the talent of people in the urban areas. He pointed
out that at the moment they are going to the 25 wards in Nkayi to scout for talent and the people from the wards will go on
to represent their wards in the Nkayi District competition. The competition will
be in the genres of dance, music and modelling.
Mr Moyo urged all artists to produce quality products
as that is the element that is lacking in artistic products. He also emphasized the need for originality and that they should
persevere till they get their breakthrough in the arts industry. He stressed that there is a need for branding and proper
marketing of cultural products. Mr Moyo said that it is imperative for the business community to support the cultural industries
so that artists can also realize that the arts industry is indeed a business and business principles should apply.
Mr Moyo also revealed to Amakhosi that that he is
carrying out research on traditional dances and we hope to bring the story to you, the readers soon.
Does the story of Nkayi Super Sounds sound like
a fairy tale to you or will there be an anti- climax? Well, I can confirm that
they are certainly sounding better and their dances have certainly improved.
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NKAYI SUPER SOUNDS TO HOLD
SHOW IN MARCH, posted 11/01/07
By Sihle Nyathi
They sacrificed more than
physical comfort when they walked more than 156 km journey to Amakhosi
Township Square Cultural
Center to pursue their dream of recording an album. Nduduzo Ncube one of the group members says that he sacrificed his loved one.
‘ I have not written
a letter to my girlfriend since I came to Bulawayo, this is because I am afraid of what she will say to me as that might make
me to lose focus. All the group members are missing Nkayi and they would like to go home one day and find rest.
The group’s sacrifice
has paid off as the group is set to hold a show in Nkayi on the 29th and 30th March 2007. The development
trainer of the group and director of the concert which has been dubbed’ The Return-Ses’jikile’, Cont Mhlanga
said that the guys were very eager to hold the show and they will be sounding better than they did when they left their village.
The group is certainly sounding
different as they have been rehearsing everyday with the assistance of musicians from Amakhosi. A member of the group’
Dennis Tshabalala said that they have learnt that they have to work for things to happen. “ We are learning from musicians
such as Lovecent and Thembi Ngwabi the Amakhosikazi female bassist who has been teaching us the Bass guitar and dance’.
MaNgwabi has also been teaching them about variations issues in music.
Cabangani Tshabalala said
that they have benefited from living at Amakhosi because there are a lot of artists who rehearse at the Centre so they have
been learning a lot such as how to do a live performance. The group is saying that it is being inspired by Beatar Mangethe
who they have been watching regularly when she has been rehearsing at the Centre. ‘We looking forward to going back
to our district and showing everyone what we have learnt.’
Amakhosi sound engineer,
Paul Chimhowa who has been working with them said that they were the first rural group he has worked with and he had been
impressed with the group’s resourcefulness as they had used a guitar with no original strings but had used fishlines.
The group had been using the box guitar and now they had learnt how to use an electric guitar.
‘ I am very happy to
be assisting the group because they are very serious during rehearsals and they are learning to use electric instruments very
fast because they are willing to learn. I have been teaching one of them sound
engineering. This is inspite of the fact that they do part time work in the mornings at the Center and they still work hard
even if they are tired., ‘said Mr Chimhowa.
Paul said that the challenge
for the group is to acquire as much knowledge as they can. He noted that the group has to take lessons in music theory and
they also need to learn about live performances.
The group had arrived with
an uncertain future but they are now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. They have a roof over their heads and they are
doing what they love best.
This sounds like the classical
Cinderella story or does it not ?
