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AKA at Shoko Festival

 . . . as Fatima Katiji falls sick

Naledi Sande: Arts Reporter

Jah Prayzah’s backing vocalist, Stimela whose real name is Fatima Katiji, failed to perform at this year’s edition of Shoko Festival which was held over the weekend at Harare Museum of Human Sciences after she fell sick.Her absence was felt on stage when Jah Prayzah performed on Saturday night with Excavator, who was the only female member of the Third Generation Band.Keen Mushapaidze, Jah Prayzah’s manager said that Stimela was not feeling well hence her absence on stage. “Stimela is sick but she will be back on stage by the weekend,” said Keen.

Jah Prayzah gave an outstanding performance, a great improvement from his previous shows after his album release.

He started off with an emotional song which is probably one of his studio sketches since no one had ever heard of it.

The song had lyrics that went on like, “Vangataure zvavanoda, zvimwe vangatizorodza” which many concluded were meant for what people were saying about his fallout with Gonyeti.

He sang one of his hit songs “Watora Mari” where Baba Harare did Diamond Platinum’s part on the song and got the crowd going wild with his imitation of both Swahili lyrics and accent.

Ammara Brown came on hard with her performance which ended with one of his father’s songs “Mawere Kongonya”.

She did her father’s rendition after she had shared the stage with her sister Chengeto in a new song, “What Do You Want”.

Earlier on Friday night, South African hip hop star Kiernan Jordan Forbes, whose stage name is AKA, was third time lucky as he impressed his hip hop fans in Zimbabwe with his flawless act.

He put on a top-drawer performance on the King Pinn stage with a full band on the opening night.

Later on, he was seen dancing to Winky D’s songs before he called it a night.

Fans had the opportunity to take pictures and “selfies” with the star backstage although those willing to get his comment on his performance were brushed off.

A cameraman was chased out of backstage by one of AKA’s body guards when he tried to get to up close with the star.

Shoko Festival is a vibrant space that hosts everything from live concerts, comedy nights, talks and discussions, to cutting edge presentations on tech and new media.

Other musicians that took part in Shoko Festival include 18-year-old Tamy, Tehn Diamond, Ti Gonzi, Bryan K and Sharky while on the comedy side South African Donovan Goliath, Doc Vikela and Gonyeti.

Other than live shows, there were creative markets, food stalls and urban fashion.