By Sam Miller, Staff Writer
Nobuntu, a Zimbabwean a capella vocal ensemble, will perform at Susquehanna on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Degenstein Center Theatre.
Nobuntu is the second group to visit Susquehanna this year as a part of the Artist Series, after Parsons Dance performed in September.
One of the goals of having Nobuntu perform at Susquehanna is to showcase talent that the community may be unfamiliar with.
Keelie Schock, the Artist Series manager, said, “Nobuntu brings a unique perspective and vocal experience to our community, one that we are not often fortunate to have.”
“The Artist Series committee works diligently to identify artists who represent a broad spectrum of talents and cultures, so that the three performances we offer annually are unique and engaging to our audiences,” Schock continued.
In addition to the group’s performance, Nobuntu will participate in the Center for Diversity & Inclusion’s “Let’s Talk” luncheon on Nov. 14 at 11:30 a.m. in Benjamin Apple Meeting Rooms 3 through 5. The ensemble is expected to discuss their culture and demonstrate their performances.
For Susquehanna students the show will be free. Tickets will be $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and $5 for non-Susquehanna students.
The group is made up of five singers: Duduzile Sibanda, Zanele Manhenga, Heather Dube, Thandeka Moyo and
Joyline Sibanda, who have all been with Nobuntu since the founding of the group in 2011.
According to the group’s website, the name “Nobuntu” is an “African concept that values humbleness, love, purpose, unity and family from a woman’s perspective.”
Nobuntu’s work is directly related to the members’ identities as African women and celebrates their identities through song and dance.
When performing, Nobuntu’s works are mixes of “traditional Zimbabwean rooted music, Afro Jazz, Gospel and Crossover in pure voices with mini- malistic percussion, traditional instruments such as Mbira and some dance movements,” according to the group’s website.
The group’s website also said, Nobuntu was founded based on a lack of an “all-female professional a cappella group” in both the town of Bulawayo and in the country of Zimbabwe as a whole.
According to Nobuntu’s website, the group believes that music incites change and helps a younger generation of women transcend “racial, tribal, religious, gender and economic boundaries.”
The group has released two albums, “Thina” in 2013 and “Ekhaya” in 2016.
Nobuntu has performed throughout Africa and Europe and is currently on an American tour to various colleges, which is the group’s first time performing in the U.S.
The group was nominated for Best Musician of the Year at the Zimbabwe International Woman Awards in 2015.