Mangaliso Kabulika
AFRO-ACOUSTIC outfit, Gwevedzi, scooped an award for Best Soundtrack in Southern Africa at the recently held Zambia International Film Festival (ZIFF).
The accolade is from their contribution to the movie “Ngoda”, which was co-directed by Joe Njagu and Eddie Sandifolo.
Tinashe Masangudza, a representative of Gwevedzi, said the award was not only for the group but they share it with other musicians who contributed towards their project.
“This award is not only for Gwevedzi but also other musicians like Mokomba, Hope Masike and some of the musicians from the Chillspot Family.
“For us, it was so special because the idea, which our big brother Joe Njagu of pushing local talent into the global film world, has come full circle.
“We compare him to Don Jazzy.
“This is our first time to win but we were also nominated for best soundtrack for the African Movie Academy Awards 2020 in Nigeria, for the film Mirage by Malaika, which recently won Best Feature Film in Toronto.
“Additionally, on that project, we did contribute five tracks to the movie and we are proud of our filmmakers who are seeing the synergy of authentic Zimbabwean sound and telling Zimbabwean stories through audio and visuals.
“We also did Vhunze for a very popular ZBC TV drama series and we are currently creating soundtracks for another drama series which the television station is currently working on,” he said.
Gwevedzi is a vibrant Afro-acoustic band that vividly brings simple wordplay, rhythm and melody all in perfect harmony into a lived experience.
The band commands local and international attention with their authentic and rare Zimbabwean sound infused with the blending of mbira, percussion, guitars, drums, saxophone and enthralling vocals.