Hugh Masekela to release Zim project after album launch

The long promised Hugh Masekela passion project, Shai Shai will finally get a release date after the South African legend launches his latest album, No Borders, this Friday.

It has been a frenetic start to April for Masekela who in the space of a few weeks celebrated his 78th birthday, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Kwazulu Natal and announced that he would be releasing his latest album, No Borders.

True to the title of that album, Bra Hugh is still eager to release the Shai Shai album, which had initially been pencilled for release at the same time as his solo effort.

Shai Shai is a Zimbabwean project that Masekela had initially started with the late Chiwoniso Maraire and Victor Kunonga as a tribute to her late father Dumisani Maraire. Kunonga and Masekela have since recruited four women, Prudence Katomeni Mbofana, Benita Tarupiwa, Joyce Warikwanda and Rumbidzai Tavaziva to spearhead the project.

In an interview, the Zimbabwean co-ordinator of the project and Ngoma Nehosho Live Sessions founder Walter Wanyanya said they were expecting to release the album within a month, with the final date set to be announced during the launch of Bra Hugh's album.

"I'm going to South Africa for the launch and that is where we are going to announce the release date of the album. Everything is done and the album is just sitting there waiting to be released," he said.

Wanyanya said the release would happen within a month of Bra Hugh's album launch.

"We're going to have a joint launch both in Zimbabwe and South Africa and we expect this to take place within a month of No Borders' launch," he said.