Resident Artists

Home at Amakhosi.

THE MUSIC COMPANIES BELOW REHEARSE AT AT AMAKHOSI TSCC. THEY ALL HAVE THEIR SEPERATE ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT. TO KEEP YOU INFORMED WE WILL DEVELOP EACH OF THEIR INFORMATION INTO BIGGER PAGES. THEY CAN BE CONTACTED THROUGH AMAKHOSI.

MUSIC RESIDENTS

Lovescent Mhlanga

The jocular 30-year old artist started his career at Amakhosi Performing Arts Workshop(APAW). Mhlanga, who speaks in a soft voice with a torrent of township lingo, has been in art for 13 years now but with the recent recording of his kwaito album, Umkhumbi KaNoah, he believes he has made his break. Umkhumbi KaNoah, is an eight-track album, with six songs and two remixes. The title track is pregnant with a message as it teaches faithfulness and abstinence. The artist himself composes the songs. Lovescent is currently preparing for the release of his second album.

Beater Mangethe

ONE of the success stories of Amakhosi Children’s programmes, Beater Khumalo, has shown seriousness in the music industry by coming up with three albums in a short space of time. The first album, Sizomlobola has 8 songs. Some of the songs in the album are Sweetie Lami, Basize Baba, Abo-baby, Angimboni, Hello, iAids and uBea, which is biographical.

The second album, Ngeze Africa (Music from Africa), also has 8 songs, and all the songs were written by Khumalo herself. The album was produced by Patrick Mthimkhulu.

Besides the title track is Ngeze Africa, the other songs in the album are Intombi, Tshomi, Masithokozeni, Emthimbeni, Abazali, Itshefu and NginguMangethe.

Most of her songs deal mainly with marriage, love and traditional themes like the importance of parents. When Khumalo sings about love, she sings about serious and enduring love not teen infatuation, which is evident in most songs these days.

Khumalo produced this album.

Khumalo started her artistic career in 1992 when she enrolled with Amakhosi Performing Arts workshop doing drama, dance and music. She stayed in the course for two years.

At the moment she rehearse every morning at the TSCC together with her group. She has shown strong leadership qualities by leading a music group for three years now and keeping it intact.

Herbert Phiri & Isitshingo

Specializing in traditional Ndebele music, Isitshingo is one of the groups that are resident at the centre. Phiri has been in arts for a long time and in Isitshingo he has come up with a music group that has been strong enough to resist breaking up.

Manyox & Amakhosikazi

All male pretenders step aside, here comes the first female Sholosho music artiste. Her stage name is Manyox and she has worked with a lot of church bands. She has also worked as a soloist, singing and playing the acoustic guitar. She even recorded an album before joining Amakhosikazi Women’s Band. With Amakhosikazi she plays the rhythm guitar and is also a lead vocalist. She has recorded an album, Ukuthandana, with the group.

Amakhosikazi

AMAKHOSIKAZI is the first all-women band in Zimbabwe and it was put together by the Amakhosi Township Square Cultural Centre (TSCC) under the Women In Arts Project. When the project started, one of their tutors described them as fast maturing amateurs.

Ever since that was said about them, the group has grown in strength and it is now a big group that is celebrated in local music circles. In an age that specializes in digital music, they are one of the few leaders in terms of live music. Besides instrument playing, singing and dancing; the Women In Arts Project combines sound engineering, stage designing and more technical aspects of music. The project, that draws a lot of its members from local women, also has two members from outside Zimbabwe. The women compose their own songs and they hold daily rehearsals.

Richman Ndebele Leziyaduma Lentombi Zodumo

Richman Ndebele is a serious man who, together with his 10 member band Ziyaduma, are raring to storm the music scene. Ndebele’ s album, Zinkiyankiya, is replete with messages against promiscuity and seeking solace in the family system as a prevention against the scourge of AIDS.

“Our aim is to tell people about the AIDS disease. We are so based on isintu so much,” Ndebele said.

Robert Mso & Amazi A’ Moyo

All Crooning, All Jazz, All Into The Future. Robert Mso Ndlovu and his band, Mazi A Moyo (Holy Water) have released a multilingual jazz debut called Asambeni (let Us Go).this album has eight songs, four of which are instrumentals. The CD has songs in Chewa, Kalanga, Ndebele and English. It has such songs as: Asambeni, Fahla, Emeli, Bambo, Thando, Mabuyani, Botshiwe and Magic Finger.

Man Soul Jah

This is the man whose music spoke about land reform, way before the government realized that the issue was a hot potato. It was years after that the government embarked on the land reform, that latter became controversial. Because of that song, the controversial artiste is sometimes called, Mr Government Man, taking after the title of the song. As an artiste, Man Soul Jah is a devoted Rastafarian and his music is hard core reggae. To date he has four albums.

SINDI NTOMBIKAYISE

Her Band is resident at Amakhosi and sings sweet Afrosoul.

PRODUCTION HOUSES

Qhube Productions

Qhube Arts is a mainly theatre company headed by veteran artist, Sihlangu Dlodlo. Last year he produced a highly entertaining musical, Penpals and is currently working on another interesting musical, Majaha, together with veteran artists from Amakhosi and young artists from Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (IYASA). He seems to have found his line of productions in musicals.

Studio X. Artists

If the Ndlovus are the family that drive Zimbabwean football, the Mhlangas are the family at the forefront of arts production in Zimbabwe. Styx Mhlanga, the younger brother to the founding father of Zimbabwean theatre, Cont Mhlanga; heads Studio X Artists, an arts production house. Studio X Artists is currently involved in a core-production of a television sitcom, Aunt Di’s Children, with Amakhosi Productions.

Khanyisa Arts

This is a production company headed by a multi talented young man, Lewis Juma Phiri a graduate of Amakhosi Children’s Program. At his age he has written and directed more plays than most young people of his age and most of these plays have made stars out of his peers. His commitment to the word art is unstinting and inspirational. He has written plays such as Dingane, who’s Wise and iBatik. iBatik is a gay play about four middle aged women visual artists who are engaged in preparations for their first joint exhibition (umfaz’omnyama). Phiri, who is also involved in music as a drummer, is not a stranger to the stage, either as a director or an actor, as he has such a long history in the theatre. He joined Amakhosi in 1987, at the tender age of 11.

Kgotso Drumming Project

Inspired by the need to preserve her cultural heritage and bring high quality African entertainment to the attention of the world, Loveness Wesa, came up with Kgotso Drumming Project. Probably among some of the foremost dance artists to come out of the centre, Wesa, is among the league of Tongesayi Gumbo and the late Princess Dlamini.

Her first play, Brooms, caught the imagination of the entire industry because of its sheer beauty and artistic maturity. In coming up with the production Wesa borrowed from a lot of cultures that included the Ndebele, Shona, Venda and Tswana cultures.

The story of Brooms simply revolves around the theme of female liberation from traditional chores. In Brooms, what is more interesting are the songs. There are over 11 songs that are accompanied by beautifully choreographed dance routines. In this play Wesa shows her prowess in dance choreography.

She is currently based in the United States of America, where she has continued with her work. However she is still involved with the arts back home, where she produces shows when she is on holiday.

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Maturity In Music Videos

While in the past we had simplistic music videos on television, artistes in this region have now developed a lot in terms of video production.

It was not surprising when Jeys Marabini scooped the best Video award in the music category of the 2003 National Artistic Merit Awards (NAMA) with his video for Sisemarabini. Last year Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (IYASA) was in the running for same award, though it lost.

When the urban grooves sensation, P’oze featuring his sister, Skhue, released his video for Uhamba Lobani, many thought it was a song by some American hip hop artistes.

“This is a pointer that our quality has improved too and musicians now understand that a good video is central to the markerting of the music. Usually people react more strongly to what they see,” said Khulekani Mxotshwa, an arts student.

Jeys Marabini has also come up with another interesting video for his song, Umuzi Kababa.

The days of rushing to the park and standing by the fountain or rushing to any nearby hill are gone and artistes have set themselves higher targets for their creativity. The costume is also becoming more funkier and attractive.

Even the Cool Crooners, an older generation of artistes, have such a beautiful video for their song, Bhulugwe Lami.

More Resident Groups

Sindi Ntombikayise

When Sindisiwe Ntombikayise had the opportunity to prove her mettle in music and no one even her parents dared oppose her. Being a woman, it has never been easy to convince parents that music is the path you will want to take in life. Or perhaps when you are in Africa and you are told that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. The 20-year old, Sindi Ntombikayise released an Afro-soul album titled Vuka Africa. Its main message is the call for people to know that they are Africans.

Ragga Busta

Three things about him, he is hot, he’s hot & he’s hot. Busta is a new name in Zimbabwean music and he brings a fusion of jazz and Ragga. His songs are done in English and Ndebele. The album is titled, The First Of Ragga Busta. It includes such songs as: Rasta man Africa, Slave, Rasta Darling, Street Kids, Rude Girl and Once A Bully. His album is available in record bars around the country.

Khumbulani & Amadansane

To imagine that they were once in prison......and they call their music Gumbafire. Right from the opening track to the last the group wants to spread the message that crime does not pay. Their debut album, Amadansani, has such songs as Sinothi, Isigwebo, Kunini, Amajazi Amnyama, E-Royal and Amangqansula. Zulu and his group have brought real music that thrives on experiences and not imagined stories.

X2 AmaBoza

Zimbabwe’s top Afro pop group. The two artistes, Memory and Zimazile grew up together as they are neighbours in Makokoba, Bulawayo’s oldest township. Makokoba suburb has a fair share of artists. They got into arts at the same time joining Amakhosi Children’s programme. At Amakhosi they performed in Games and Bombs, Stitsha, Children on Fire, Somkhence, Hoyaya Ho, and Have You Seen Yoyo? When they graduated from Amakhosi they worked under the stable of dub poet Albert Nyathi and Imbongi as backing musicians. They came back to Amakhosi to record their album and establish a group christened X2. To date they have two albums, Boza and Ubumnandi Siyazenzela.

For more information call: 263-9-62652 or Fax 263-9-76673

UMKHULU LO MSEBENZI