Black Mambazo promises fans thrilling show

By Ferdinand MwongelaPopular South African music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo is in the country ahead of Safaricom Classical Fusion Concerts.The Standard Group is the official media partner of the event.The music group made a courtesy call to Standard Group’s Deputy Chairman and CEO Paul Melly at the Standard Group offices on Mombasa road. The Standard Group’s Deputy Chairman and CEO Paul Melly (centre) with Ladysmith Black Mambazo manager Romio Mgetshimani (left) and the group’s founder Joseph Shabalala (right) and other members of the music group when they visited Standard Group offices on Mombasa road. [PHOTO: MOSES OMUSULA/STANDARD]The artists promised their fans a great time in the upcoming event.Ladysmith Black Mambazo will headline the Safaricom Classical Fusion Concerts that are set to climax on Sunday with a grand concert at the Impala Club Grounds."We are honoured to have you in Kenya... you are a group that has established itself through out the world as a growing entertainment unit of influence," Melly told the artists while congratulating Safaricom for the work they had put in preparing the concerts.Romeo Qetsimani, Mambazo’s group manager, pointed out that this was their first time in Kenya. He described their music as one that has stuck to the African culture and promotes the continent’s tradition.Ladysmith Black Mambazo has grown over the years, having been formed in Durban South Africa in the 1960s by Joseph Shabalala who still leads the group to date. They got their name, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, from various aspects of their background and culture. Ladysmith is a name of a rural hometown of the leader Prof Joseph Shabalala, with black being a reference to oxen and Mambazo is the Zulu word for axe, which the group claims on its website is "a symbol of the group’s ability to ‘chop down’ any singing rival who might challenge them."Since its formation, the group has always been made up of several members of the Shabalala family and relatives.Members of Mambazo in the Kenya tour include three of Joseph Shabalala’s sons who have joined the group over time after some of the original members passed on or retired.Shabalala himself has, however, remained with the group all this time. The group’s manager says they are grooming Shabalala’s sons for the moment when their father will retire.Melly praised this move pointing that there is need to pass on the mantle and heritage to the younger generation. "African heritage can only be preserved if we pass it on to the next generation," he said.Notch higher"Ladysmith Black Mambazo was never about one person. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a mission. A mission to spread our message and to keep our culture alive and known," Joseph Shabalala said when he was asked about his retirement and continuity as the leader of the group.According to the group’s website, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been invited to perform at many special occasions across the world.These include at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the Queen of England and the Royal Family and in Rome for Pope John Paul II.The group has also performed at two Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. Also at the South African presidential inaugurations and the 1996 Summer Olympics, among others. The Safaricom Kenyan Classical Fusion is a series of three concerts, the first of which was held in Mombasa at the Haller Park on Wednesday this week. This will be followed by a VIP concert at the Nairobi Arboretum on Thursday before the event moves a notch higher for a grand concert on Sunday at the Impala Grounds, Nairobi.The Sunday event will be aired live on KTN.Other performers on Sunday will include Sauti Sol, The Kenya Conservatoire of Music Orchestra, Nairobi Orchestra, Safaricom Choir, Nairobi Chamber Chorus, Kenyatta University Choir, Africa Nazarene Choir, Strathmore Chorale and Moi Nairobi Girls among others

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