Luvuyo Maboza and Sopheyile Khweza are the two members who make up the duo and hail all the way from Bizane in the Eastern Cape. Having released their first album exactly 10 years ago, they have established themselves and continue to take their traditional Xhosa music to new heights.
The title track, “Umhlaba Okabani?” is a song that is very close to Luvuyo’s heart. He recalls how when he was growing up, the land his grandfather had bought was forcefully taken away fromtheir family. Left with no place to do his farming, he decided to challenge the powers that be and dared to go back to farm in the land he knew rightfully belonged to his family. He then asks, “Who does this earth belong to?” (Umhlaba Okabani?)
Track 4, Ziyathengwa, talks about a certain young man who wanted to get married but didn’t have enough money to buy cows for lobola. When he asked his father to buy them for him, he tells his son that he will have to be man enough and buy the cows himself.
Of course the album wouldn’t be complete without a bit of romance. In the track titled Wawundalelani, a young man tells his story about a lady he once fell in love with. She unfortunately decided to leave him and go look for work in Durban. When he decides to move on with his life and finds someone else, the lady hears about it and is overcome with jealousy. He then asks, “Wawundalelani?” (Why did you leave in the first place?).
All the songs were composed by Luvuyo and are a reflection of the lives of the group members. “The songs on this album are based on our own personal experiences,” they said.
Having been born and raised in the Eastern Cape, Nqabukuwela’s music is strongly influenced by their Xhosa traditions. It also has a bit of the Zulu flavour, making a pleasant and enjoyable album to listen to. “Umhlaba Okabani?” is full of the raw South African music energy and passion that is so necessary in our country today, which no fan of traditional South African music can afford to miss out on.
