LUYANDO | MOKOOMBA

On Luyando, Mokoomba modified their rock-band oriented line-up to record a more raw, acoustic album. The songs are rooted in the local traditions and life in their hometown of Victoria Falls, a town on the Zambezi River, named after the spectacular Victoria Falls. The word mokoomba itself means deep respect for the river. When the band first hit the music scene their blend of traditional rhythms and contemporary Zimrock took the country by storm. Mokoomba brought a unique flavour to a scene that was dominated by Sungura, Reggae and Dancehall, Urban and Afro Jazz bands.

Luyando means mother’s love in Tonga a language that is spoken by the first inhabitants of the Zambezi Valley of Southern Africa. On Luyando, Mokoomba dig even deeper into their heritage: Luyando takes us back into the past to a vanishing world of traditions that used to be at the heart of Tonga and Luvale society, their customs, rituals and even day to day life. There are the cautionary and instructive tracks like, Njawane, which advises young hunters of how to act when faced with a dangerous lion. The haunting Kumukanda is inspired by a Tonga initiation ceremony and Mabemba speaks about the values of the Tonga people. But the album also offers some lighter, playful songs like Nyaradzo which is a song of cheeky courtship or Kulindiswe a personal lament on the hardships of band life, which sees them spend too much time away from family, now that they travel around the world.