Tonga music festival on By KELVIN KACHINGWE THE Tonga Music Festival, organised by Chikuni Community Radio Station, is set for September 5 and 8 in Monze, Southern province, where about 90 bands are expected to compete in various categories. The festival, now in its 12th year, and arguably the biggest in the southern African region in terms of numbers, will be held at the Chikuni Radio concert arena, which is about 34 kilometres from Monze town. Organisers of the festival need about K175, 000 to meet this year’s expenses such as accommodation, meals, prizes, trainings, publicity, live broadcast, professional fees and hire of equipment. Initiated with the aim of reviving, promoting and preserving Tonga traditional music and dance, the festival has grown over the past 11 years, attracting many traditional bands as well as corporate institutions and business houses who contribute to its successful hosting. For many years now, 12 categories of traditional music have been exhibited as set out by the organising committee of the festival. But over the years more traditional and almost extinct music styles have come up and are being revived owing to the value of the people have placed in the festival. The categories are kalumbu, kankobela, kuyabila, seesa, ndikiti, chigome, chikakaambe-kaambe, kalindula, bukonkoolo, ma guitar and freestyle. According to Jyde Hamoonga, programmes manager at the station, for Chikuni Radio, it is a sign of ownership and the people have come to appreciate the role of the station in bringing back a way of life that adds value to the people’s daily living. Musicians no longer just come to perform, but are trained on the cultural and musical values of the Tonga as well as general lifestyles. This has led to improved deliveries from the participating groups. The Sakala Brothers (Levy and Moses) and Makanzubo Kalinda Research Institute have over the years helped in the training which has led to improvements in performances. Over time, some groups have matured and no longer compete but just participate to provide entertainment. These groups include the Mashombe Blue Jeans, Green Mambas and Gonde Cultural Ensemble. Zambia Daily Mail
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:15:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015