Mackenzie Thomas
Staff Writer
“The Nobuntu choir is an acapella choir; meaning that they just use entirely their voice with little instrumental use. It is all about [the] five singers’ voices,” said Philip Moline, director of UW Presents.
From Afro Jazz to Traditional Zimbabwean and even a bit of Gospel, Nobuntu offers an authentic variety of music during their performances. Nobuntu utilizes their voices along minimal percussion instruments in order to share their core beliefs through music.
The women of Nobuntu use art and music to preserve and celebrate beauty, culture and heritage as they represent a younger generation of female African singers. The overall mission of Nobuntu is to help foster change on a worldwide scale as music suprasses gender, race, economic, cultural and religious boundaries.
“The audience can expect a lively performance, very energetic and uplifting, a positive experience overall,” Moline said. Along with encompassing their traditional values and beliefs, Nobuntu aims to uplift and empower their audience through music.
Nobuntu is an African concept that illustrates unity, family, love and humility. The acapella group uses their music to demonstrate these concepts in order to help spread a hopeful message.
In 2015, the group won Best Musician of the Year at the Zimbabwe International Women Awards in London. Nobuntu was also the two-time winner of the Best Imbube Group at the Bulawayo Art Awards in both 2017 and 2019.
The group is also active in their community back home. One project they facilitate is the Nobuntu Pad Bank which collects sanitary products for women in the arts in underdeveloped and underprivileged communities. The group values community outreach and service as it encompasses their core beliefs.
“Anyone interested in experiencing cultures outside of what we normally see in Wyoming should attend,” Moline said.
He said the Nobuntu performance will hopefully help with campus diversity and widening the world views of students and members of the Laramie community.
Nobuntu will be performing at the University of Wyoming Sun.The Nobuntu concert, sponsored by the University of Wyoming Fine Arts Outreach Program, is open to all ages and will be from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Arts and Sciences building on campus.
