Umdumo weSizwe off to Aberdeen

To affirm my assertion in an earlier article about the ability of local artists to bag overseas performances, the Small City Hall in Bulawayo reverberated to the sound of Umdumo weSizwe, a local imbube ensemble now fronted by Gugulapo Nkomo following the sad demise of group founder Mqoqi Nkomo two years ago. The family-oriented farewell show-cum-fundraiser featured songs from Umdumo’s newest CD and show Mxhento . The tour will be their first international outing after the death of their leader, Mqoqi “Kento Mxhe’’ to whom the group’s latest CD is dedicated. By the time of going to print the group would have left for the United Kingdom at the invitation of Aberdeen International Youth Festival which is funded by Marathon Oil a UK company in Aberdeen, Scotland as part of their Communities Tour.
Umdumo weSizwe’s music genre may be deemed unique in the sense that it infuses imbube with other Western sounds.
“Igusheshe is a collective name for the different types of music genres that we sing which include kwaito, RnB and hip-hop among others,’’ according to the group’s current leader Gugulapo Nkomo. The much travelled Umdumo weSizwe has strutted upon the global stage sharing the spoils with Youssor Ndour, Oliver Mtukudzi, Peter Gabriel, Ishmael lo, James Blunt, Femi Kuti if one may drop a few names. Since 1994, and with changing line ups, they have been  performing at various festivals in Zimbabwe and internationally including Intwasa and  Ibumba festival. They have also had appearances at WOMAD and Glastonbury. A recent performance was with the irreverent comedian Sasha Baron Cohen of the Borat fame at an event in Manchester.
The group’s current line up of members are Busani Nkomo, Gugulabo Nkomo, Smart Malalazi, Lizwe Jele, Fortune Sibanda, Dalubuhle Hadebe, Lloyd Mlalazi, Forget Ndlovu. Armed with songs of love, hope, faith, relationships, struggle and social commentary, the group has managed to etch its name upon the world music circuit with their traditional music which is basically isichathamiya or ‘imbube’ as popularised by Black Mambazo.
Though it was the late Mqoqi “Kento Mxhe’’ Nkomo who started the group, it is vital to make mention of the role arts impresario Saimon Mambazo Phiri and his Sabela Music Projects has played in steering the group’s career over the years. At the Friday concert Phiri deplored the refusal by the city of Bulawayo to allow these obvious cultural ambassadors free use of the Small City Hall to fundraise.
To my mind the argument is sound. Here are township youth, off the streets, who have been lifting the name and culture of people here with their artistic productions and tours who need the city fathers’ assistance. Wretchedly, and as is now characteristic of the City Council (you will recall the National Arts Merit Awards) they myopically refused the request on the grounds of their need to cover their costs. But charity must surely begin at home.
Alas, deaf are these ears it seems. It needs mentioning however, that the city has been under the leadership of progressive arts-friendly forces such as Mike Ndubiwa in the past, which was instrumental in the acquisition of land upon which Amakhosi Cultural Centre is built. Cape Town and Paris are perfect examples of visionary leadership in terms of seeing the correlatedness of a vibrant cultural life in a city and tourism. France24 reported recently that Paris receives 83 million visitors annually. Imagine with me the receipts in dollar or franc terms to the fiscus! Hopefully, the elections will usher in a generation of councillors who understand the economic import of vigorously promoting cultural activities.