Music celebrates Zambia’s rich tribal heritage-Mpande

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 11:46:09 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

WELL known Southern province hit maker Mpande is a Zambian music icon from Choma with mesmerizing Tonga Traditional tunes which have taken the nation by storm.

Mpande, born Emmanuel Mpande’s music celebrates Zambia’s rich tribal heritage and encourages everyone, no matter what tribe they are, to look at themselves as Zambian.

Mpande is well known for his hit Tonga songs ‘Nchelele Chelele’ and ‘Ikapaale’. One would think a Tonga song would be appropriate but he started out singing in Nyanja.

“Besides singing in Tonga I have songs that are in Nyanja, Bemba and Lozi.  It’s just that people love my Tonga songs more but when I started, that was way back in Chingola, I used to sing in Nyanja and Bemba.

His album Nchelele spawned the hits such as Kayuuni Mitengwe, Chachisa, Nchelele and Ikapaale and a lot more songs strongly condemning tribalism in the country.

“Zambia has got 72 tribes who have enjoyed peace since independence and it has to stay that way because we are one. I have never experienced war but I get moved when I watch movies like Hotel Rwanda.” Said Mpande.

Mpande encourages politicians to tell the people what they will do for them instead of dividing them on tribal lines.

His third album was his most diverse, as he collaborated with General Kanene on ‘Tonduumi’ and recruited Natasha on ‘Daddy Daddy’, a girl-child-education-awareness song that saw him perform on ZNBC.

Recently, Mpande has collaborated with Mazabuka based staunch musician Mapick and Macha’s Real Jay on a number of songs, one of them being ‘Tindoona’.

Mpande’s latest 10 track album ‘Kabaleleka’, released last year in October is now on the shelves.