Kukana Kuba Kasambwe Brothers Band left the country on Monday through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre for United States of America (USA). From Ndirande Township in Blantyre, where they have grown their music, performing in the streets and marketplaces to earn a living, the ‘Check Your Sitepe’ stars now have a chance to perform to audiences in USA. Kukana Kuba Kasambwe Brothers Band , accompanied by Jacaranda Cultural Centre (JCC) Director Deschamps, is set to stay in USA for close to a month, when they will hold a session at It was all singing and dancing from Ndirande to Chileka Airport by the group’s family members, who included their landlord, ahead of their departure.
“Since we started music, we have never had the chance to board a plane, let alone going outside the country. It is our first time to fly to America and the first time for us to go outside the country,” lead vocalist Joseph Banda, who also plays the acoustic guitar, said. Konzani Chikwata, who plays the banjo, hailed Luc Deschamps and partners for the opportunity.
“We never knew that music would take us to America,” Chikwata said. Fatsani Kennedy, who plays drums, said the tour of America would also motivate them to do a school as well as stage a live show before going into the studio to record an album. Their USA tour has come courtesy of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass Moca) in partnership with Grammy award nominee producer Harlan Steinberger and Jacaranda Foundation t.
