Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Trust Khosa
15 November 2008
Harare — A NEW reggae crooner, Manikongo - real name Confidence Nyajinha - has been born.
The 30-year-old, who has also written and performed numerous literary works in Harare, seems to have found another love - roots reggae music.
To affirm his great artistry in this particular genre, Manikongo has just finished working on his self-titled debut album laden with thought-provoking lyrics.
And upon listening to Manikongo's music for the first time, many are bound to mistake him for either Culture or Burning Spear.
Precisely, the artiste is gifted in all departments -- songwriting, arrangement and even choreography during live shows.
Inspired by a number of top Jamaican artistes, the singer has managed to blend his reggae with acoustic elements to weave out a creative blend of music.
"My stuff, as you can hear it right now in the studio, is purely reggae which is underlined by Afro-acoustic elements.
"My target is both the international and local market although numerous offers are coming from abroad at the moment," he said.
Manikongo, who also doubles as a performing poet, said he also gets inspiration from some of the world's renowned writers.
"Thomas Hardy, William Shakespeare and Dylan Thomas are some international writers giving me the direction to follow through their works.
"In fact, I derive a lot from them and some of the subjects they tackle in their works have continued to live many years after their death," he said.
"While Culture and Burning Spear remain my idols, I must also hasten to say that literature has shaped me today.
"One thing that I need to bring to the fore is that I first wrote some of my songs as poetry pieces before I turned them into music," he added.
Manikongo's polished effort was produced by Flash Gordon who has since relocated to Italy.
The project opens with the track Afrika, which urges people from across the continent to live in harmony.
He feels that lack of wisdom is as good as being orphaned in the song Nherera before he shifts gears in the track Rasta From the Kalahari, a soul-searching song.
The award-winning poet shows his great expertise in poetry in the song New Day that encourages people to celebrate life even when the chips are down.
Other tracks on the album include Gara Gara, Chaminuka, Run It, and Angela.
All in all, Manikongo captures the message of the Rastafarian movement.
Manikongo advocates messages of honesty, peace and love, which tie in with his religious and political messages of Rastafarianism and black unity.
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