First Single. Album Pre-Order coming soon.

Zimbabwe’s ‘most exciting band’ is back with the release of the first Single ‘Nzara Hapana’ to their new album: ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’ out on Outhere records on the 7th of July 2023. Five years after the release of their last album ‘Luyando’, the six musicians from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe have come up with their most danceable album to date: The DIY production is recorded in Zimbabwe and sees them refining their unique sound: Infectious Afro grooves deeply connected to Zimbabwe’s cultural DNA.

The first single of the album "Nzara Hapana" translates to "no hunger" in the Shona language. This song is written as a letter by a man to his wife reassuring her that he loves her and is working hard to provide for her and the entire family. It is a comment on the sometimes unfair traditional rules concerning inheritance. He has written a will designed to protect her in the event that he passes on. He highlights that he has noticed how women are abused and dispossessed of property by the husband's family and relatives if an inheritance will is not at hand. The man hopes that if he plans well and invests well, his family will not face any hardships.

Every Sunday, there is a gathering in the sweltering heat on grounds of an old local beer hall in Chinotimba township in Mosi-o-Tunya (Victoria Falls). Entertainment is provided by various traditional groups including the Luvale Makisi masquerade. It is a day full of singing, drumming, dancing and storytelling. Mathias Muzaza can be found here singing with a voice both soaring and vulnerable. Trustworth Samende, Ndaba Coster Moyo, Abundance Mutori, Phathisani Moyo and Miti Mugande often also join in. The drum driven song Bakalubale invites you to this gathering.

"Our inspiration comes from these gatherings“, Trustworth Samende explains, „from listening to and playing pure traditional music with everyone in the township. We then add influences from music that we listened to in our homes growing up and the sounds we experience travelling around the world." The cultures around them are the deep well from which Mokoomba draws its water. It is this connection that gives Mokoomba’s music its spiritual power. And if you hear Mathias Muzaza singing and you watch closely, you will realize that this music carries him to a different sphere, a spiritual place, a place where he is singing with the ancestors. Only a split second later Trust Samende’s sparkling guitar riffs kick in, blending congolese influences from neighbouring Kasai with Zamrock and Mbira inspired Chimurenga music, making you want to hit the dancefloor. It is this unique blend of local musical styles with contemporary dance music that makes Mokoombas music unique. Mokoomba reconnect the world of today with Zimbabwe’s cultural DNA and the world of the ancestors.

The album’s name Tusona refers to an ancient system of signs and symbols, drawn in the sand and used for instruction during initiation ceremonies. The "Mukwasona" (a person trained in drawing Tusona) teaches the young boys this ancient language and its deep spiritual meaning. Another important part of the Mukanda initiation ceremony is the incredible Makisi masquerade. The Makisi are masked characters, representing the spirit of deceased ancestors. During the yearly initiation ceremony the Makisi return to the living world to teach the young children to become responsible adults among the Lubale people of Southern Africa. Two of the band members; Mathias Muzaza and Trustworth Samende share the Lubale heritage and draw a lot of their musical creativity from this experience. Since 2008 the Makisi dances are on the Unesco list of intangible heritage. In the last decade the Makisi dances have nearly died out.

In the past few years, our lives and livelihoods have been shaken by the impact of a global pandemic, political unrest and ongoing climate change. The effects can be felt all accross the globe. Through music, Mokoomba are searching for new ways to keep encouraging their community to develop and thrive. Many have turned away from the traditions in the past decades. On Tusona Mokoomba want to keep the teachings of the ancestors alive. They are singing about love, loss, courage and about local social issues.

Modern influences in the music keep changing, but deep below the surface of Mokoomba‘s sound - flowing like the Zambesi river - you can hear the heartbeat and the rhythm of a community connected by its music. Like Tusona, it is a source of rejuvenation, resilience and strength in these changing times.

May our tracings in the sand not fade.