Published by the government of Zimbabwe
9 May 2008
Harare — Indeed one does not need dreadlocks to be a Rasta. Canaman, a reggae outfit from Spain, proved this to be true after staging one of the best shows at the recently ended Harare International Festival of the Arts.
They played non-stop for a good two hours, while the crowd, though not understanding a word of Spanish, resonated well with the type of music and went along with the rhythm.
Here and there the reggae group would stop to explain to the audience the meaning of the songs, but that did not dampen the excitement, but created the much needed vibes for the crowd.
The majority of the songs, sung in Spanish, were mainly about revolution and love.
What made the group's performance unique was that they totally ignored the language barrier and went on to give a fantastic stage act, which was punctuated by cheers from the crowd.
They also wooed the crowd when they churned out a rendition of Bob Marley's song Zimbabwe, which was met by excitement and cheers as the revellers sang along to the tune.
Even after the group had indicated that the song from the late legendary singer was to be the last one, the crowd refused to leave.
Canaman had to come back on stage to play two more bonus songs for the frenzied crowd.
The eight-member group took to the stage with zeal to deliver and they simply impressed.
In an interview, Ras Kuko, the leading vocalist, said it was their first time to be in Africa and found Zimbabwean people warm and hospitable. "You are a wonderful nation with courteous and beautiful people. We just feel like we are in Madrid and our message in our songs is of unification so it's just like coming home," said Bratt, one of the guitarists.
Kuko said they started their music 14 years ago in Spain. The group members said they got their inspiration from Rastafarianism and legendary reggae singers Bob Marley, Anthony B and Sizzla.
"This is one of the best festivals we have ever attended and our first time to be at Hifa. Rastafarian or no Rastafarian, the majority of people who attended the show left the main stage content after the superb performance from Canaman.
The group did not disappoint, but were indeed an icing on the cake for the international festival.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
