On Tuesday night, we welcomed Nobuntu to the Weis Center stage for a mesmerizing performance that dealt with various issues facing Zimbabwe as well as traditional gospel music. Each song blended the quintet’s voices with minimal percussion. At one point, they even engaged the audience by turning on the house lights and teaching the snapping rhythm and some song lyrics to the performance goers.
The ensemble successfully promoted their mission of using music as a vehicle for change to transcend racial and gender boundaries. In one of their songs, Moya Moya, they touch upon the sad story of a woman who feels she is inadequate because she is not able to have children. Nobuntu prefaced this song by explaining the culture in Zimbabwe and how there is a great deal of importance placed on marriage and child birth in a timely manner, thus leading to stress in women’s lives. Another song, Obabes Bembube, is named after the nickname fans gave Nobuntu and celebrates the legacy the group has created so far all around the world. Along with these songs, they performed an original rendition of Amazing Grace, harmonizing flawlessly and stunning the audience.
Additionally, we were fortunate to have Bucknell’s own student ensemble, Voices of Praise, perform in the Weis Center atrium briefly before the show. The group sang African gospel music that certainly gave the evening a memorable start.
~Rachel Johnston, Class of 2022