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Zimbabwean artistes invade Swazi's online radio chats

by Staff reporter
21 Jan 2021 at 06:35hrs | Views
RENOWNED Zimbabwean musicians Vusa Mkhaya and Sani Makhalima have made it to the Hala Africa Top 20 music show hosted on a Swaziland's online radio station, Hala Radio.

The two-hour music chart show that celebrates and promotes African music from different parts of Africa airs every Saturday at 3pm, and repeats Sundays at 5pm and Tuesdays at 4pm.

On the show, the song Masiyephambili by Vusa Mkhaya, which features Bulawayo artistes, was at number four this week from number seven last week and Makhalima's I surrender dropped to number 16 this week from position 14 last week.

The Eswatini-based Zimbabwean and Hala Radio station director Larry Mhlanga told NewsDay Life & Style that the show was inspired by the work done in Africa by artistes, but was only enjoyed in their respective countries.

"Africa's newest internet radio station, Hala Radio, based in the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland) has launched an upbeat African music chart show, Hala Africa Top 20 presented by Eswatini's renowned music compiler Bongani "DJ Tizalami" Dube," he said.

"The show features top urban and other contemporary music from all corners of Africa, particularly music that is on heavy rotation on top stations in the five respective regions, West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa."

He said the show, which is a melting pot of Afrobeats, Kizomba, Amapiano, Afrosoul, urban grooves, among other African music genres, gave them credibility and ownership of their Africanism as a station and the artistes.

"Radio is a powerful tool for artistes and being recognised as an artiste motivates and inspires you to do more. We have been getting lots of reviews about this new show and we are likely to do Hala Africa awards next year depending on the situation and how our vision is going," he said.

"Sani Makhalima has been doing amazing music for many years, but he has not been recognised at an African level. As an African radio station and the drumbeat from the Kingdom we need to be heard everywhere in world."

Source - newsday