CollaboNation 2024: Bholoja, Stewart Sukuma tackle GBV with “Mother”
MTN Bushfire is excited to announce the official track release of the 2024 CollaboNation song “Mother” by Mozambique’s Stewart Sukuma and Eswatini’s Bholoja. The song is out now and available for listening and download on all digital music platforms.
Both social commentary and source of hope, “Mother” is honest, pure, and powerful. It is a song inspired by the crucial need to address one of the burning issues in our society: Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
“Mother” has been released globally by Bushfire Records, in partnership with Paradise Worldwide, an independent global distribution company.
Don’t miss this exciting release, pre-save “Mother” with this link:
CollaboNation is an annual MTN Bushfire arts development project supported by MTN Eswatini and produced by Bushfire Records. CollaboNation artists are selected in line with MTN Bushfire’s clarion call to action, Bring Your Fire, making CollaboNation a powerful platform for creative advocacy.
CollaboNation connects and unites the continent through a series of unique cross-border and cross-genre music collaborations, weaving together Africa’s rich and diverse musical genres to create a game-changing creative narrative and inspire social cohesion in an increasingly divided world. CollaboNation supports African artists and develops their brands through the cross-pollination of markets.
To follow these amazing annual collaborative journeys, with in-studio vids, artist reels, and other audio and visual releases, simply follow “CollaboNation” on Facebook, Instagram, and @CollaboNation_ on X, and subscribe to the CollaboNation YouTube channel.
CollaboNation was founded in 2022 with a generous grant from the Sound Connects Fund, implemented by the Music In Africa Foundation. The Sounds Connect Fund was a European Union-funded initiative to support the arts in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean.
2023 CollaboNation 1
“Sek’sedvute”
Thobile Makhoyane (SZ) X The Hood Brodz (MZ)
2023 CollaboNation 2
“Chisimo”
Mokoomba (ZW) X Morena Leraba (LS)
Thobile Makhoyane X The Hood Brodz
Thobile Makhoyane (SZ) fuses her haunting vocals and traditional musical instruments like the Makhoyane and Sitololo with western musical instruments to create a style of her own: ‘DloziRock’. Her powerful, charismatic stage presence and strong lyrical content captivate as she addresses social issues with the aim to educate, empower and uplift.
The Hood Brodz (MZ) is a DJ/producer duo hailing from Maputo, Mozambique. Ayrton and younger brother Hélio have been working together since 2017, releasing many songs on international labels in South Africa, France, Dubai and Angola, and more, as well as establishing their mark on the Mozambican music landscape.
“Sek’sedvute”, meaning ‘it is close” in siSwati, is driven by an irresistible dance beat interlaced with Thobile Mokhoyane’s clear soaring voice. Mozambican Electronic duo Hood Brodz describe it thusly: “This song reveals the dream that we all have inside of us; that one day we can wake up in the middle of accomplishments”
“A well-produced interplay of Mozambique Electro with Swati spirituality. Ritualistic Afro-tech at its best!” – Nicky Blumenfeld (Nicky B, Kaya FM World Show)
Mokoomba X Morena Leraba
Morena Leraba (LS) is a shepherd from the mountains of Lesotho who fuses his homegrown traditional Famo-inspired vocals with a multitude of genres ranging from Electronic Dance to Hip-Hop, meshing cultures and sounds from far and wide to create a truly unique sonic experience, called “Famo Electro”.
Mokoomba’s (ZW) unique sound blends genres as diverse as Sungura, Reggae, Dancehall, Urban and Afro Jazz with traditional rhythms and contemporary Zimrock. This explosively talented six-man crew has toured over 40 countries on five continents and performed at the world’s most prestigious international festivals and venues.
“Chisimo”, means “Riddle” in Luvale (or Chiluvale), one of the Bantu languages found in some regions of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola. Mokoomba and Morena Leraba describe the song as “a musical marriage that then becomes a journey of affirming and discovering similarities/connections within our Bantu languages. In an ever-changing global culture, where colonialism (in Africa and other regions) shaped many of our institutions, it is crucial to safeguard and preserve our indigenous languages, especially when the idea of decolonization is presented.”
Nicky Blumenfeld (Nicky B), from the Kaya FM World Show, had this to say of “Chisimo”: “A truly special encounter between Lesotho and Zimbabwe that echoes across Africa, connecting the continent through a deeply rooted but futuristic interpretation of desert blues. Conceptually, lyrically and melodically, this is a powerful song on so many levels!”
