The Lady On The Boat 
Yesterday was a long hard day, so I decided I’d drop by the Zimbabwe German Society for the one night only Akua Naru show at the Zimbabwe German Society last week.
That was the best decision I had made all day! It was a powerful women affair kicked off by the mellow tones of Aura Nicole (Aura ThaPoet).
With a small but receptive crowd, it was easy for the acts to pick up the pace and build up to the main act of the evening. We saw Charity Utete, D-Bloc, DJ Naida and MK47 prove that women can hold their own on stage with great sets that entertained their audience.
When Akua Naru took to the stage, we were ready, but we were never that ready! With a full band to compliment, she put on a show that had everyone navigate towards the stage without thinking twice about it. She had an array of tracks that we found ourselves able to relate to without being in the exact stories she told. The beautiful blend of Hip hop with jazz and r’n’b was quite something! And yes, she did a little bit of reading up on Zimbabwe, which was rather endearing – I think. Her set definitely gave a glimpse into some of the elements missing in our local hip hop (energy, showmanship, artistry – to mention but a few).
Mk47 was my highlight for the evening. She had a strong set of 3 songs all delivered in ChiManyika, the audience loved her delivery and Akua called her a Goddess!!
My biggest surprise (disappointment even) was that not a single one of our hip hop artists were there…maybe I’m off on this one, but it would have been a great networking and learning opportunity for them. I know that if someone in my field is around, I’d be hopping over mountains to meet them just to tap into their knowledge.
All in all it was a great show. Shout out to the Goethe Institute for ensuring we were one of only 2 stops Akua Naru made in Southern Africa on her way to East Africa for her tour. It was well worth the hype.
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