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Mokoomba lead singer Mathias Muzaza (right) and guitarist Trust Samende on stage at Book Cafe last year

Godwin Muzari Arts Editor
In July they were in South Africa for the Cape Town NuWorld Festival and shared the stage with Kanda Bongoman. In August they went for the Barefeet Festival in Zambia and performed alongside Femi Kuti of Nigeria.

This month they head for Malawi to headline Lake of Stars Festival with South Africa’s Toya Delazy. Such has been Mokoomba’s schedule over the years. They have graced most popular festivals in Africa and beyond. While most local musicians get fascination in dreaming about foreign stages, Mokoomba goes globetrotting.

But their impact back home remains limited. And the closure of Book Café, which had become their favourite hunting ground on home soil, threatened their local mission.

Whenever they come home from their international tours, they want to grace local events and celebrate their successful foreign endeavours Mokoomba’s manager Marcus Gora believes their new home of local performances – Pablo’z Club at Sam Levy Village in Borrowdale – will help them take their campaign to another level.

“We are happy with our international success and we also want to see the same reception back home. At Book Café, we had a strong base and our shows were popular. Local festivals, especially Harare International Festival of the Arts, have also been important platforms for our big local shows but we intend to do better,” said Gora.

“We intend to stand firm against big local acts. We want everyone in Zimbabwe to be singing along to Mokoomba songs. We want to be kings in our own land and we know that goal is achievable. Now that we have a new base at Pablo’z, we will use every opportunity that comes our way to sow our seed in the new land.”

Between their tight international tours, the boys will make time with local audiences. They have a burning desire to show their fellow countrymen what has fascinated foreigners in faraway lands.

They want to fill big venues and play their drums and marimba for multitudes of their brothers and sisters. They want to see their fathers and mothers dancing to the traditional rhythms that they play with expertise.

“We have been to most parts of the world. Where music calls, we answer and we deliver. They have enjoyed our acts and every year we have a busy international schedule. We feel we have done much on the international scene. Of course, we will continue preaching the Zimbabwean gospel at big international stages but our hearts will always be home when we are away. Home is best and we want to do the best at home.”

Gora said he was happy with the response they got when they shared the stage with Senegalese singer Baaba Maal at Hifa. He said their recent show at 7Arts Theatre with Hugh Masekela had also been an eye-opener. He yearns for more of such shows and entreats local promoters to consider Mokoomba for big shows when they are in the country.

“Some promoters have shown faith in us but others do not understand our act. I was disappointed when after one big show at Harare International Conference Centre, a promoter told us that he would not pay because we are not known locally and we were privileged to have an exposure platform at his show. That spirit kills passion.”

Mokoomba will have six shows between this month and December at Pablo’z Club. Gora said when they come home from international tours, they always have good stories to tell. He said their recent tour of Zambia where they shared the stage with Femi Kuti was great.

“The festival went for a week with many different activities as well as theatre, dance and drama showcases “The final day of the festival saw performances by international artists headlined by Femi Kuti and the Positive Force from Nigeria.

“Mokoomba played after Femi to close the festival and the audience loved the act and called for an encore at the end “This is the second time that we have performed at the same festival with Femi.”