Winners of the Music Crossroads InterRegional festival 2010, Club Shanga is a vibrant seven-piece group from Zimbabwe playing a lively blend of afrocentric music enhanced by melodious female voices. The group calls it Afro Shangara as it derives from a traditional music style from their region, which also inspired their name, called Shangara.
Club Shanga’s contemporary take on this gives them a distinctly Zimbabwean sound: danceable tunes played on modern and traditional instruments, strong vocals and a pulsating stage performance.
“It is the spirit of the song that brings us together. Come on! Let’s dance to the rhythms of Africa: Shanga!” – they exclaim in one of their songs. Club Shanga’s melodies are mainly sung in Shona, and throughout their music the band also promotes African cultural values and addresses social issues like HIV/AIDS.
Formed in 2007 in Marondera, at the heart of the Mashonaland East province of Zimbabwe, the group managed to go all the way to the Music Crossroads InterRegional Festival (IRF) 2009 in Zambia. They overcame missing the first place, by working hard to bring cohesion to their performance both in live shows and as a group. In July 2010, Club Shanga were rewarded for their efforts – winning the Music Crossroads Interregional Festival in Tanzania!
