From the dusty roads of Chinotimba township, swathed in the smoke that thunders, nobody had thought that one day the six young men would ever grab the attention of the world.
But once they won the Music Crossroads Inter-Regional Festival in 2008, Mokoomba has caught the attention of the world and they keep soaring higher and higher like the Zimbabwean bird.
To buttress their brand, Mokoomba will on MAY 3 be inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame courtesy of Afropop Worldwide.
They now join hotshots such as Youssou N’Dour, Angelique Kidjo, Habib Koite, Harry Belafonte, Oliver Mtukudzi and Thomas Mapfumo.
Afropop Worldwide is a weekly radio programme, website and podcast series which tasked itself with unearthing and revealing the essential music and stories of Africa and the African diaspora, regarded largely as the unacknowledged roots of the world’s greatest pop music traditions.
“As Mokoomba we are very excited to perform at the City Winery on Afro Pop Worldwide’s 30th anniversary gala that will be attended by important players in the music industry including honorary chairs Angelique Kidjo and Harry Belafonte,” said Mokoomba manager, Marcus Gora.
Afropop Worldwide has won the The Peabody Award for their sterling work as a leading radio program, podcast and online magazine dedicated to music from Africa and the African diaspora and they have been a great supporter of Mokoomba’s music in North America.
“This is special recognition for Mokoomba and our quest to present Zimbabwe in a positive light as well as to promote our local languages and traditional music at present and going forward and for that we are very grateful to all at Afropop,” added Gora.
An elated Gora also shared with the Sunday Mail Society Mokoomba’s journey thus far.
“Mokoomba’s journey thus far has been exciting. Coming from Chinotimba township in Victoria Falls where we grew up together, we have recorded two chart topping, successful albums Rising Tide in 2012 and Luyando in 2017 that have been the launchpad to us touring around the world and winning support at home.”
Since 2009 they have toured consistently over 40 countries worldwide and have collected a few awards along the way.
“We have won a NAMA award, a Songlines Best Newcomer Award, ZIMA award, Zim Achievers Award UK and recently the Bulawayo Arts Award for Best Ambassador.
“Some of the highlights in our career are performances at Denmark’s Roskidle Festival, WOMAD festivals in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Montreal International Jazz Festival in Canada, Kaloobang Festival in Reunion Island, Sziget Festival in Hungary, and a performance at the legendary Apollo Theatre in New York, amongst many others,” said Gora.
All their tours have led them to perform with global music icons such as Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dog, Maroon 5 and Baba Maal.
“We continue to tour widely with growing audiences cutting across cultural lines, demonstrating the joyful, transcendent power of our sound and vision,” highlighted Gora.
Meanwhile, Mokoomba has been nominated for the Best Group for the 2018 Songlines Music Awards and the results will be out later this month.
