Koma Afrobeat band aims to sell traditional music internationally
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Wednesday May 31, 2017 15:47
In an interview, the band’s founder, Phillip Mhlanga, he said they boast talented youth who are excellent singers and dancers.
“Botswana has untapped traditional rhythms which Koma Afrobeat band embarks on taking out to Batswana and beyond the boarders. As the leader of the band, I have composed a couple of songs that have become favourites amongst a large number of people,” he boasted.
Mhlanga explained that Alliance Francaise de Gaborone festival was the window for Koma Afrobeat band to gain recognition and exposure in the local entertainment industry. He said the band played at different places such as at Tlokwe Pub 22, Mogoditshane Millennium Jazz Restaurant and others.
He further explained that the Alliance Francaise offered the band an opportunity to make a song for the dance scene directed by Moratiwa Molema of Moratiwa Productions. He said the band was busy practicing and was always ready to perform live music and electric Afro and traditional dance to rhythms infused with jazz.
“Koma Afrobeat band is based in Gaborone and was formed in 2011. I formed it to play at Fete de la Musique yearly festival then. The band is entirely an afro jazz outfit,” he said.
The band pioneer Mhlanga has a couple of productions. Those productions include the debut album Tau Tsa Nhabe, single Lentswe la Baratani (Lovers rock) that inspired the documentary Lentswe la Baratani that was co-directed by Mhlanga and Kgomotso Tshwenyego.
The film was in the year 2011 selected to be among films from across Africa billed for the prestigious Zimbabwe international film festival.
He said the music video Zagga dance was produced in 2015. Mhlanga said the song was based on a true story about a boy who was seen pulling magnets looking for money at a shopping mall in Francistown Area W. He explained that the song was the first Afrobeat rhythm to be written in Setswana.