shoes lambada the poet

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Duo impresses cross-cultural audience

The duo of Taku Mafika the mbira prince and Shoes Lambada one of the finest poets in the country yesterday sent an audience of more than 150 people into a frenzy at the Annual Intercultural Summer Party held in Munster, Germany held on Sarturday 30 July 2011. The event is an international gathering that happens once every year and this year there were participants from 17 countries mostly from Europe and Asia. African participants were our own pair of Taku Makika and Robson Isaac Shoes Lambada plus three others from Namibia and Morrocco.

The Zimbabwea duo took to the stage soon after a theatre piece from a Polish company had torn the audience into stitchesThey started their performances with Shoes Lambada doing the solo act. He opened the floor with the shona rhythmic “Tariro": a love poem that centres on the traditional way of arranged marriages called kuzvarirwa in shona. In this poem Shoes Lambada depicted a picture where a man is forced to marry a woman who does not have the looks he likes but is reminded of some good elements of those bad looks.

“Vanondiunzira madhuve zigadzi zidema-dema,
zigobvu-gobvu rakanyangara zvinodzinga
vapwere padare hunzi gudo kuipa-kuipa
haro asi haridyi chakafa choga"
he recited

He went on to recite “Bound to the Street’ on his own before he called Taku to the stage. The poem of the day was the Osama poem where Taku's mbira was perfectly woven with Shoes Lambada’s verses. The poem was a vivid analyisis of the global atmosphere soon after the death of Osama bi Laden. The situation in the Middle East compared to the situation in New York’s Ground Zero. The poem also explored the other world events that were significant and making the news at that time like the Strauss Kahn scandal, the Libya uprisings and also the economic specualtion that followed as indicated by the rising of the dollar and stocks while oil and gold fell. The jubilant crowd fell in love with the chorus “Longer than expected he lived, but longer he remains dead“.The Al Qaeda leader was responsible for the september 11 attacks on USA where approximately 3000 people were killed.

The other acts they did as duo included "Dzimwe Nguva, Yomubatanidzwa and Dollar for Two" . After the duet performance Taku then took the audience to his personal level with a solo performance. He did some shona folk songs and also some new material from his upcoming album which he is currently working on and also collaboarting with some international artists in Germany. The track "chingungunde" got the audience on the dance floor and it ended while the audience still wanted more. Nevertheless Taku's song of the night was "chikuru rudo". The song became popular last year when he shot a video for the song in Munster. The video featured Aga a polish girl and was directed by Janusz Hamerski, a Polish filmaker who has been resident in Germany for more than 25 years.

The pair does urban mbira and poetry fusion. They have been doing these kind of acts since 2008 . It is not the first time that they have wowed audiences like this. This yera in February they starred during the Black History month celebrations and the are often collaborating at Taku's shows at the Book Cafe and at Shoes Lambada's private functions. On the day they left for Munster they performed in the morning at the Harare International Conference Centre where the UNFPA was commemoration World Population Day.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Shoes Lambada and Taku Mafika in Munster



Mbira maestro and tutor Taku Mafika left for Germany together with the Coordinator of Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights: Shoes Lambada. The two were invited for a two-week conference by a German organisation, Solarnet International.

The two, will spend two weeks with 35 other participants from 18 countries attending the International Reporters’ Conference.

“I am happy to be invited to take part in this international editorial conference comprised of other young people who are very diverse in terms of knowledge, culture, lifestyle and backgrounds, coming together to report about issues that concern young people.

“I know that in my capacity as a musician, I can make a meaningful contribution to my society as well as be diverse in my way of thinking, thus writing more relevant issues when I compose my music,” Mafika said.



The conference brings young people from countries around the world and trains them in journalistic skills in new and traditional media.

Mafika will perform with Shoes Lambada to perform a fusion of mbira and poetry as well as conduct workshops. This is not the first time the two artists will collaborate. This year in February they set the Black History Month Celebration ablaze with their performance at the US Ambassador´s (His Excellence Charlesd Ray) residence.

"The mbira poetry fusion just flows like blood in the veins. Its African and the emotions the mbira bring to the words is amazing. We will definitely rock in Munster" remarked Shoes Lambada



Taku is currently riding high with his new album Dzimwe Nguva which is being sold both locally and globally.On this album he worked with the likes of Alexio Kawara, Willom Tight, the late Sam Mtukudzi and Carmen Hwarari of African Destiny.

The Nyunga Nyunga mbira master will perform alongside the latest crop of mbira students: Diana Samkange, Tererai Mugwadi, Pauline of Mafriq, Tina Watyoka and Willom Tight’s son, Gary.