Past Event

Africa Entsha: South African Voices

7th Apr 2017

Presenter: Africa Entsha
Website: http://africa-entsha.weebly.com/band.html
Event Duration: 180 minutes

Africa Entsha deliver a cappella with attitude. Hailing from South Africa they offer songs in English and their native Zulu (‘entsha’ means new in Zulu) with an energy and optimism that is entertaining and infectious.

But this five-piece band doesn’t just offer vocals. Dance, movement and percussion are very much part of the package. Percussion is via clapping, foot stamping, or oral effects through a mic, and the dance moves, while not always tightly choreographed, help generate a buzz of energy within the band and around the audience.

A couple of numbers in and many in the audience are rocking or foot tapping quietly to the rhythms. Their music draws on vocal traditions from Zulu and Western culture, and at times strays into soul and Gospel.

"It was good to hear that global favourite, The Lion Sleeps Tonight (aka Wymoweh), given a more traditional arrangement. Little known fact: the song was originally written in Zulu. We were also treated to a short demonstration of the ‘clicking language’ of the Xhosa people."

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