MaNgwenya readies comeback

Standard Style
Traditional musician Diana “MaNgwenya” Samkange (pictured below) is set to mark her return to the music scene with the launch of a seven-track album titled Kumandinde at La Rouge in Harare on Wednesday.

By Kennedy Nyavaya

Traditional musician Diana “MaNgwenya” Samkange (pictured below) is set to mark her return to the music scene with the launch of a seven-track album titled Kumandinde at La Rouge in Harare on Wednesday.

Famed for the timeless hit Kumagumo Erudo, the songstress, who doubles as a spiritualist, has adopted a deep cultural sound, which sums up her effective migration from urban melodies that jumpstarted her career in the early 2000s.

In an interview with Standard Style on Thursday, the mother of one said she was determined to revolutionise the local music scene by introducing more “traditional advocacy” through her music.

“My fans can basically expect a comeback, not saying I have not been visible in the industry because I have been relevant, but the comeback has a lot to do with consistency as a musician besides the state of the economy, so they should expect fireworks,” she said.

The album, her fifth solo offering, was produced by Maselo, Cassper Beats, Walter Mabayi as well as Oskid and consists of songs titled Hondo, Mudiwa John, Tsitsi Rudo NeRunyararo and Mudzimu Dzoka featuring Sulumani Chimbetu, among others.

MaNgwenya may appear to be swimming against the tide of modernising music, but she insists hers is a calling to guide the young generation to their identity through music.

“We basically need to go back to our roots and when it comes to music, I still think all of us should never modernise and forget the type of sound, which defines us as Zimbabweans,” she said.

“For one to know where your future is presently, you need to know your past and have an identity and need to go back to your roots, this is a principle which is supposed to be carried by each and every Zimbabwean for them to know where they are going tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, MaNgwenya has pledged to introduce frequent live concerts under the “Kumandinde KwaMangwenya” banner where she will give her followers a surreal live show experience embedded on cultural norms.

“I will be hosting quite a number of shows because I feel there is need for us to host these traditionally-linked concepts of musical shows because we have lost touch as society and nation when it comes to the standard type of our music,” she said.

“They will be biras in general. So for people who appreciate our culture and those who want to learn about it, I think it’s very important to attend and see what will be going on there because it starts from how we dress and how we will be performing as well as the language used there.”