The Sunday Mail
ZAMBIAN multi award-winning artiste Robert Banda aka Roberto of the “Amarula” fame, simply cannot wait to share the stage with Zimbabwean superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi in Harare this Friday.
He says their scheduled Lockdown Show performance at the Harare International Conference Centre is “a dream come true”.
Add to that, this will be the first time that the rising Zambian star will be sharing the stage with South Africans Theo Kgosinkwe and Nhlanhla Nciza of the group Mafikizolo.
With three countries well-represented, the Lockdown Show is a proper platform to cut the ribbon to start the festive season.
The gig also features high-flying Jah Prayzah, real name Mukudzei Mukombe, and talented Afro-fusion musician Alexio Kawara.
Roberto is a Zambian singer/songwriter/producer and the youngest in a musical family.
He has shared the stage with American Grammy Award-winning artiste Eve in Namibia, toured Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Burundi with Uganda’s powerhouse outfit Radio and Weasel – yet he still feels incomplete.
Speaking through his manager, Fortune Tatenda Musewe, Roberto says he will only be complete after the honour of the “rare opportunity” to share the stage with Zimbabwe’s finest.
“This will be our first time to share the stage with Mtukudzi and Mafikizolo hence this makes it more interesting than ever. Roberto is so excited about meeting the South African giants and the great Oliver Mtukudzi whom he has idolised from the time he was still an up-coming artiste,” says Musewe.
“Roberto shared the stage with various other artistes including Simba Tags (Zimbabwe) at the African Music Concert 2015 in Johannesburg recently but the Lockdown Show experience featuring greats is a huge milestone for us.”
Earlier this year, Roberto failed to make the trip to Harare for a scheduled gig after his show was postponed. Could the Zambian have missed a perfect opportunity to capitalise on the popularity of his hit song “Amarula”?
Buy Musewe says Roberto is not driven by a single hit and the Zambian star has enough in his arsenal to guarantee a long and successful career.
“Roberto has always wanted to perform in Zimbabwe given the fact that his hit song ‘Amarula’ has been well-embraced in the country. But note that he is a talented artiste with a number of hits to choose from. Also he will sample new material from his forthcoming projects that are equally interesting.
“With regards to the show, our fans as always should expect nothing less from fireworks. The Zambian star will deliver an electrifying performance which will leave the crowd spellbound.”
On the other hand Mafikizolo boasts a rich catalogue and are one of the most sought-after groups in Africa.
Their visit to Zimbabwe this week is just what the doctor ordered.
Combine that with Tuku’s star power and his endless list of hit songs, and what you have is a genuine extravaganza.
Gigs of this magnitude have in the past created security headaches for organisers.
Show promoter Simba “Simmad” Madziva of Simmad Entertainment believes they have learnt from past mistakes.
“The date of the gig is strategic. Everyone will have closed industry and for us this is the official launch of the festive season. The whole of Harare will literally come to a standstill on December 18 thus we have put in place a number of measures to make sure that we don’t have hiccups.
“For instance we will be making use of an electronic ticket checking system, which is going to speed the process of entry. Furthermore we have increased the number of entry points for either division,” says Simmad.
Advance tickets go on sale tomorrow, December 14 for US$15 and US$25 for upstairs and downstairs seats respectively.
The concert starts at 8pm but gates open at 6pm to ease the flow of revellers into the venue.
Additional parking will be available behind Rainbow Towers Hotel and security will be provided by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, a private company and a team of professional bouncers.
Simmad adds that the star-studded line-up was crafted in close consultation with fans.
“It is the public that demanded we bring Mafikizolo again. Besides, of all the foreign acts that came into the country this year, it’s only the South African duo that gave the best act. I won’t mention names but most of these foreign acts left fans with a sour test.”
Mafikizolo knows no bad day in office when it comes to Harare, and with their fresh West African-inspired beat, this gig is set to be no different.
Mafikizolo made its breakthrough in 1997 with a self-titled album. In 1999 they released “Music Revolution” before their best-selling “Gate Crashers”.
Major international success was to come after their 2002 chart-topping album “Sibongile”, which they released after escaping a near-fatal car crash.
