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VICTOR KUNONGA

. . . as Kunonga shares stage with protégé

Arts Correspondent —
CONGOLESE rhumba outfit, Diamond Musica is set to serenade rhumba music lovers over the weekend when they perform at Liquids Club International in Masvingo tonight and at Ngezi Sun City in Ngezi on Saturday.

The group last performed in Masvingo in 2003. The group will be supported by two local musical groups Alcamy and Mudhara Perry. In an interview, the group’s leader, Pitshou Lumiere, said that they were happy to be performing in Masvingo again after such a long time and promised a polished act.

“We are very happy to be going back to Masvingo it means we are going to rekindle the love between us and rhumba music fans there since we last performed in Masvingo in 2003,” he said.

He highlighted that the outfit would take the opportunity to introduce their new track which set to be released before the year end.

“We are currently in the studio working on a potential rhumba hit which we are going to launch at Ambassador Hotel this month end and we are going to first perform this track in Masvingo so we are encouraging all those rhumba fans in Masvingo to come in their numbers since we have a Christmas gift for them.

Diamond Musica is one of the longest-serving rhumba outfits in Zimbabwe and is made up of Democratic Republic of Congo nationals, who have been resident in the country for over a decade.

Renowned for pioneering rhumba outfits in Zimbabwe, Diamond Musica, which originated from Democratic Republic of Congo-, became a household name in Zimbabwe in 1999, two years after its formation, as a dance group, where it would curtain raiser for Oliver Mtukudzi among other top musicians.

They have released hits like, Amawule, Miniskirt and Amai that have given them an edge in the rhumba music circles. Meanwhile, it will be a boss and protégé affair at the Bar Rouge when Victor Kunonga will be sharing stage with his long time band member Norman Masamba.

The two have proved to be a strong force whenever they perform together. In an interview, Masamba who is overwhelmed by the show said it is a humbling thing to share the stage with his mentor.

“Sharing the stage with Victor is such a humbling experience for me for it is not that easy in today’s music industry for “the boss” to have such support for a band member especially on the same platform but Victor is different,” he said.