Wenyombwe

The 2018 edition of the Imagine Zimbabwe competition was bigger than ever! A blend of sounds ranging from opera solos, afro-jazz, afro-fusion, jazz was showcased by the several bands competing to represent Zimbabwe in 2019. Among the bands was Music Christian College, competing for the second year in a row for the much-coveted chance to compete in Europe. Solo acts were popular on the day with performances by Chichi weMbira (mbira), Akim (opera) and Trevor Davies (guitar) in the competition. There was representation from Zimbabwe’s 3 major cities; four bands were representing Harare, two from Bulawayo and one from Gweru.

Wenyombwe, a band from Harare scooped the first prize with an electric performance of 2 Afro-jazz original compositions. The band has been together for six years now, and asked how they managed to excel, the band leader, Tinotenda Mudepu, attributed it to a lot of hard work and a lot of rehearsals. This same platform is what launched the careers of bands such as Mokoomba, Were, and Jesa.