Fun-seekers jived to a marriage of genres when the giants of Chileka reggae shared the same stage with Zimbabwe’s Banyana Bafana dance group at Premier Lodge on Saturday night.
The night jam took off on a business-as-usual note when Moda Fumulani and Yanjanani Chumbu jumped on stage with all the men from the music empire headlined by Anjilu Fumulani and the Black Missionaries.
With its all-male cast—drummer Paul Chokani, lead guitarist Takudziwani Chokani, bassist Ras Peter Amidu as well as keyboardists Chizondi Fumulani and Gift Thugo —the two rookies promised nothing different.
However, the show took a pleasant turn when Anthony Makondetsa took over the proceedings around 11pm. Barely five songs in the act, the was filled with the Zimbabwean group, comprising four female dancers and four men, swooped on stage just to give people a jive like no other.
Having given the audience a taste of their energetic rumba and patapapa dance moves, the Banyana Bafana octet took reggae fans on the thin lane between dancing and watching.
During the cameo performance, all eyes were on the female dancers whose footwork, flexible waists and uniformity refreshed the Chileka reggae men’s show which is often characterised by a predictable playlist and players.
Just when the revellers were gearing for the scarcer-than-gold sight of the Black Missionaries side by side with the dancing queens and kings, the Harare-based group stepped aside to clear the stage for Anjilu.
The arrivals and departures gave the concert a rewind to the customary sights, playlist and inflexible dancing. But Banyana Bafana promoter Lwazi Mbowa said the group will be back for greater shows and collaborations after the tour which has already taken them to Mangochi and Blantyre.
And the Blacks, through the dreadlocked Amidu who wore a red Gideon Suit ceased the gig to assure the audience that Kuimba 9 is in the offing and people should expect serious reggae business. The band, which has come under fire for late-coming, started their set at 11.42pm.
