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Arts Reporters
As Africa celebrated Africa Day on Monday, artistes from many countries came together on various online platforms to celebrate the big day in the history of the continent.

African legends had various performances from their homes or their studios , while others went on stage for shows that were streamed live on various platforms and television stations.

In Zimbabwe, there were numerous virtual performances to celebrate Africa Day, with one of the main ones being the One Reggae Festival that was a dual celebration of Bob Marley’s legacy and Africa Day.

Another exciting combination to celebrate Africa Day was the “Africa is Mother” concert that brought together award-winning outfit Mokoomba, songstress Hope Masike and Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana.

Representing Zimbabwe at a bigger stage was Selmor Mtukudzi who was part of the WAN Africa Day concert with some of the big names on the continent.

Remembering Bob Marley on Africa Day

Artistes that performed at this gig, which was held at Theatre in The Park and shown on ZimCelebs and Theatre in the Park Facebook pages, were mostly reggae singers.

They did renditions of big reggae hits and music that spoke to the celebrations of the day.

The show was moderated by the Immortal Movement of Templeman and Gary B, who spiced the event with good selections of various international reggae classics.

They opened the show with the song “Zimbabwe” from Bob Marley as a way of saluting the great legend who was part of the country’s independence celebrations in 1980 and specifically composed the song for the event.

Immortal Movement went on to play songs such as “Hello Mama Africa” from Garnett Silk and “Nobody can Stop Reggae” by Lucky Dube to enhance the marriage of two themes of the night.

They introduced King Moosafa as their first act of the event and the singer did a few renditions including a Shona cover version of UB 40’s “Bring me Your Cup”.

Zimreggaestra Band took to the stage with the first live band performance. They also did well with good choreography with Cello Culture on vocals. He did a good job with his own compositions before Mannex took over and started his act with “I Shot the Sherriff” from Bob Marley.

Mannex did a song on coronavirus awareness and reminded viewers to keep observing safety measures to stop the spread of the disease.

The main highlight of the concert came from Poptain who received various positive comments from viewers because of his energetic act.

When he did a Shona song dedicated to victims of coronavirus, many viewers concurred that the young chanter has great talent. He was joined on stage by Noble Stylz who exhibited his good chanting skills.

The concert went for four hours with Guspy Warrior and many other good chanters doing justice to the function that had a noble cause.

The show was organized by Chipaz Promotions, Dollarbill Entertainment and Spencer Madziya.

Madziya said they were happy with the concert.

“The musicians came and did well. This is what we were expecting. The viewers supported the musicians well and most comments were positive and encouraging. It was a great event for us because we managed to salute Bob Marley and also celebrate Africa Day on one show,” said Madziya.

 

Celebrating mother Africa

Mokoomba, Hope Masike and Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana took turns to serenade viewers with their soothing vibes.

The two-hour show lived up to billing with the set and sound coming out perfect.

The comment section showed that the musicians were being followed by mature audiences who were in agreement that it was a good show.

The concert was hosted by radio personality Rebecca Muchenje affectionately known as ‘Miss Becky’.

She sailed flawlessly during her presentation and gave a snippet about local musicians who are doing well on the African soil.

Mbira sensation Masike did justice to her performance as she put up an excellent show.

Such stages seem easy for her considering that she is a versatile performer who can adapt to any situation. Her band backed her well.

Masike performed her hit songs such as “Musha”, “Yenzera”, “Idenga” and “Hondo” among others and the act was definitely reated for a world stage.

“Well done Hope. It reminds me of Wednesday nights at Book Café, with some musicians like Mawungira eNnharira,” commented Samuel Tapiwa Mponda.

Jazz musician Prudence rekindled her romance with fans when she came to belt out hits like “Bhuku” and “BP Yakwira”.

She did well and most people posted dancing emojis wth their comments.

Coincidentally, both ladies were clad in African attire, resembling true African women.

Mokoomba closed the show with an electrifying vibrant performance.

Before they performed they had a chat with Miss Becky, talking about their musical journey.

The Victoria Falls-based musical group performed the popular hit songs such as “Nyasola” and “Africa”.

“It was a show to remember, thank you Ngoda TV,” commented Taurai Karuza.

Selmor relishes concert with African stars

Selmor was on the same platform with African legends for a concert dubbed “WAN Show” that was screened on various platforms and many television stations across Africa.

The singer made the nation proud with a superb act that will definitely strengthen her profile.

Some of the artists on the line-up included Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour, Angelique Kidjo, Eddy Kenzo, Oumou Sangaré, Fally Ipupa, Wizkid, Hiro, Lenine, Baaba Maal, and Jocelyne Beroard.

Selmor was all smiles after the show and said it was a great experience for her.

“It was an amazing act and a great experience. Sharing the stage with such big names is not easy. Those are intimidating names and, for someone who has less experience in the industry, it was a challenging moment. I am happy with the response I got and my fans have inspired me to do better. I think it will remain as one of the best performances of my career,” she said.

Other stars that shared the platform with Selmor proved why they are ranked among the best on the continent.

The “WAN Show” was one of the best concerts to celebrate Africa Day.