The Standard

September 21 to 27 2014 THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN / PROFILE 3
Star Profile:
Namatayi Mubariki-Chipanga
Prudence Muganiwah
Photography by Jekesai Njikizana
Her smooth voice is
nothing short of
captivating as its
deep alto is soothing
to the soul
and beautiful
to
t h e
ears.
The
Zambian born Namatayi’s voice is nothing
short of talent par excellence. With a musical
history spanning back from when she was
a mere child, the alto goddess has become a
brand.
Namatayi Mubariki, who many remember
from Oliver Mtukudzi’s Black Spirits
band, is a Christian wife who is married to
the marimba player Charles Chipanga, and
together they have created the harmonious
sounds by the name of Chalenam Rhythms.
“My passion is music, I love writing, creating
original compositions, live performances and
showcasing my talent.”
What is unique about their music is that
it is an interesting fusion of Zimbabwean traditional
beats and a plethora of other genres
that altogether form a beautiful smooth-flowing
sound.
In her seemingly short career, the gifted
lyricist who also plays the ngoma, hosho, congas
and mbira very well, has laid the groundwork
to being an artist of note. And this she
says, is a gift she is thankful to God for.
The youngest in a family of five children,
Namatayi first discovered her love for singing
when she joined her church choir at a very
young age. “Life in the limelight began when
I started my career as a backing vocalist; I
have sang with a number of notable artists including
Tanga wekwa Sando, Africa Revenge,
Prudence Katomeni and the legendary Oliver
Mtukudzi, among many others.”
Over the years, she has had the opportunity
to showcase her talent, albeit as part of
a band, on various prestigious stages such as
the Womad Canary Island, the Winnipeg Folk
Festival, the Floyd Festival, Zanzibar International
Film Festival, African Festival of the
Arts, and many more.
Furthermore, she has shared the stage
with greats such as Awilo Longomba, the
late Lucky Dube, Joe Thomas, Hugh
Masekela, Dorothy Masuka, UB40 and
many more. And through working
with such talented big names and
seeing them perform, Namatayi
has gained expertise and mastered
the art of excellent stage
performance. And so like a
butterfly, after gaining much
experience from legends of
the industry, Namatayi has
grown and spread her own
wings to complete her as an
artist.
“What I enjoy most about
my chosen career path is being
able to share what God
has given me, the gift of singing.
I can express, advise,
build, inspire people around
me from all over the world
through song.” Namatayi
and her husband together
form a unique duo of talent
one cannot help but admire. They have so far
released beautiful music that combines jazz
and contemporary music into a flowing musical
cocktail which is appealing to a wide range
of audience.
Namatayi, who has vocal training sessions
with her band every single day, confesses that
establishing herself as her own brand has
definitely not been a walk in the park. “Releasing
our first project was a challenge, honestly
I did not know that it required a lot of
hard work, money, time, patience from doing
rehearsals, studio, finding the right producer
and instrument players, to come up with a
well-polished project.”
Being the family oriented woman that she
is, Namatayi, who also enjoys cooking and
running her household, values her marriage,
family and relationships. “From day one, God
always treasured relationships with mankind
hence the visits to the Garden of Eden
at the cool of the day to have a relationship
with Adam. God then had to make a family
for Adam through Eve which is then viewed
as the original fundamental in life. So for me,
these are the most important things in life.”
Namatayi, a 2013 finalist for the Women in
Enterprise Awards who is also prides herself
in great cooking, has also found a way to give
back to society in her own way through giving
training sessions on vocal training, stage
presentations and percussion in community
churches and schools. She mentors several
young women and trains them for free as
she does all this out of passion for music and
women’s development in the arts. Furthermore,
Namatayi often facilitates conferences
where she educates artists on Copyright Law,
medical life assurance, royalties and dealing
with contracts.
Together with her husband, they have donated
stationery to Chedonje Primary School
in Kadoma, and they plan on doing more for
schools. They have also established the Gospel
Hub, an initiative which provides a platform
for Christian artists to develop and present
original live music. And their combination on
stage is clear evidence that they lead by example.
But despite being a stage artist whose performances
are always as vibrant as they are
captivating, Namatayi is actually a shy person
off stage.
A God-loving woman who is beautiful inside
and out, she quotes her favourite verse as
a parting shot, “Galatians 6:9 - And let us not
be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not [KJV].”
Having come from a humble background
which involved singing other people’s choruses
and backing seasoned artists, Namatayi’s
season has definitely come, and with the determined
spirit combined with her unquestionable
talent, the sky is the limit.