The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Masike celebrates:

- Boniface Chimedza Arts Correspond­ent

HOPE MASIKE is happy to be part of the new Mahube project that was unveiled recently.

Known in music circles as ‘Gwenyambir­akadzi’, Masike, who marked the end of her public gigs for 2018 with a gig in Harare is part of the new Mahube team.

Mahube is a collaborat­ive Southern African music outfit that was founded in the 90s.

The original Mahube members included Oliver Mtukudzi, Louis Mhlanga and Steve Dyer.

As the outfit transition­s from the old Mahube to the new Mahube, the elder members have been handing over the baton stick to younger members in concerts such as the Harare Internatio­nal Festival of Arts (HIFA) opening concert in 2017.

This has seen the elder members performing with the young members.

In 2017, Masike collaborat­ed on stage with Dr Oliver Mtukudzi on the song ‘Hondo’.

As the new Mahube takes over, a new album has been made celebratin­g both the ancient and newer sounds of Southern Africa.

Hope Masike and Josh Meck are the new Zimbabwean addition to Mahube, with other young, acclaimed musicians from South Africa and Mozambique.

The new album is titled ‘Zenzele’ and speaks of Africa’s urgent need for self-reliance. ‘Zenzele’ is a Ndebele word that means ‘do it for yourself’.

Masike and Meck wowed the audience with their vibrant performanc­e of ‘Madzimai’.

‘Madzimai’, which is one of the songs featured on Zenzele, is a song encouragin­g the women of Africa to take up leadership positions and to be actively involved in societal governance and the dynamics of political status quo.

Speaking to The Herald at the event, Masike was ecstatic about her involvemen­t in Mahube.

“I am totally delighted to be a part of such an outfit, bringing together the best of Southern Africa and working with some of the most amazingly gifted musicians of our time. I always wanted to be produced by Steve Dyer and his son pianist Bokani Dyer. So this is a great start to a music journey I am totally looking forward to,” Masike said.

“Josh and I have worked together on several other projects, we toured Austria together and we also played together at HIFA. Josh Meck is an acclaimed bassist who deserves national recognitio­n for his talent and hard work,” she added.

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