Nobontu, a quintet from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, came to the University of Wyoming’s Buchanan Performing Arts Center to share their unique style of Mbube acapella.
Their performance highlighted a rich South African cultural history, while emphasizing their mission of uplifting women and creating a better future for the next generation of girls.
Nobuntu is an African concept that roughly translates to ‘mother of humanity,’ or ‘mother of all good things.’ The group is made up of 5 women; Brenda Rera, Zanelle Manhenga, Heather Dube, Joyline Sibanda, and Duduzile Sibanda, who all have lifelong experience in vocal performance and dance.
Their mix of traditional Zimbabwean folk songs, gospel influences, recognizable covers, and original work is a unique musical fusion under the larger umbrella of Mbube Acapella, made famous by the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Nobuntu member Zanelle Manhenga spoke about the legacy of Ladysmith and the formation of Nobuntu.
“Traditionally, when Mbube is happening, there will be 7-11 men performing on stage— and I want to say that now we would love to meet and sing with LadySmith Black Mambazo. However, they are not girls.”
“Ten years ago we thought, where are the girls that are doing Mbube? Is it set in stone that Mbube should be done by men only?”
With this conviction, Nobuntu became the first all female Mbube group in not only their home country of Zimbabwe, but in the world. They are now completing the US leg of their 2022 tour.
Their performance on Friday, November 4th, featured a majority of songs dealing with the intense highs and lows of womanhood and life from the female perspective. Their 4th song, Woza Ngane, tells of marital abuse in mournful harmonies, but songs like Cula and Obebes Bembube celebrate, as described by Manhenga, femininity and the gift of music.
“Cula means to sing. We say to sing even if you are down, even if you are happy, even if it is snowing, even if it’s cold. Sing even if you are stuck in traffic, in fact sing louder in the shower even, because music has the power to change and heal the heart and the mind.”
Nobuntu shared a feeling of pride in highlighting Zimbabwean culture in their songs and in their performance, however their status as the first female Mbube group also gave them a sense of responsibility to advocate for women.
“The most disadvantaged; most of the time that is what we are fighting for. We are rooting for girls.” Zanaelle Manhenga said of their motivations.
“We believe it does not take anything away from us to pull another sister up. One day when a hundred of us, when a million of us, are speaking in the same language [music], one day somebody is going to hear and take notice and we won’t have such issues that affect little girls.”
