A group of 32 young Zambian artists and producers have teamed up to celebrate Zambian Independence through a nationwide collaboration album dubbed the ‘One Nation Project’. The project, executively produced by Chanda Mbao, Shinko Beats and Mumamba Chungu, has been crafted to celebrate Zambian unity and features artists from all ten provinces of Zambia.
“We did this to combat the divisive rhetoric that sometimes arises in Zambia, including in the Zambian music industry,” said Zambian artist Chanda Mbao. “We wanted to do our part as musicians and artists to show that we CAN be a unified front, despite some of the bickering that can sometimes arise in entertainment and the media.” As such Mbao said the team dubbed the motto of the project “Many Tribes, One Zambia” – a celebration of all the languages and forms of expression of the nation.
Mbao relayed that one of the key focuses of the project was also to highlight young talent seeking to build on their talents and grow a larger audience. “It is clear that there is immense talent in every corner of this country but sometimes that talent doesn’t have access to the infrastructure it needs to grow a following, so we wanted to do our part to shine a light on them.” In addition to promoting Zambian talent, the project has been released in partnership with Zambian platform, Mvesesani, where all proceeds from album sales will be directed to charity. Two charity partners mentioned by Mbao were the Zambian Scholarship Fund and the BuPilo Foundation. Though the project has been orchestrated with very limited resources, sponsored with a donation by Chanda Mbao and the efforts of all the collaborators, the team said they felt the need to give back, in the spirit of patriotism. Their goal is to raise ZMW 10,000 for the charities through sales on the Mvesesani platform.
Chanda Mbao, a Zambian Hip-Hop artist, has become known for pushing Zambian Hip-Hop on the African continent through a combination of strategic collaborations and top tier visuals which have hit charts across the continent. He features on each track alongside the provincial lead artists.
The first single from the project is simply titled ‘Zambia’ performed by Chanda Mbao and Scott as one of the Lusaka Province songs on the album. Download the full album on Mvesesani here: https://mvesesani.com/music/various-one-nation-project/
‘One Nation Project’ Track List
- Tolo Tolizo – Intro
[Produced by Shinko Beats] - Scott – Zambia (Lusaka)
[Produced by Gasolean] - Obinali, Kino Izel, T’zo, Livingstoner CJ – Dirty South (Southern)
[Produced by Uptown] - Vinchenzo, Kay Die, Deon Kruger – Kumawa (Eastern)
[Produced by Shinko Beats] - TIM, Baxton – Lost in the City (Lusaka)
[Produced by Normzy Real] - OJ Senior – Sailing Away (Northern)
[Produced by Audiowap] - UFO – Border Tales (Muchinga)
[Produced by Normzy Real] - Sean Trey, Kai, TrapSlik – By Any Means (Copperbelt)
[Produced by Sean Trey] - Luapula Interlude (Luapula)
[Produced by Shinko Beats] - Clarette Normans, Kaz – Underdog (Copperbelt)
[Produced by Vue Smallz] - ChAz, Akar, Paxtan – Us We Dip (Lusaka)
[Produced by Normzy Real] - Taurus – Broken Hill (Central)
[Produced by Normzy Real] - Zaggar, Tuks Teezy, Mumble Jumble – Regulators (Western)
[Produced by Uptown] - Lisa Kumalo, Nechu – Your Body (Northwestern)
[Produced by Chase Iyan]
And nothing PF in those songs, don’t arrest them and charge them with treason.
Everyone is worried about the direction Zambia is taking. But this is the time to hold interviews with historians and political scientists who study nation-building, especially post-colonial nation-building. Diplomats from countries that are similar to Zambia would also be appropriate.
We only have one country and one chance at making it better. Those looking to overstay their time should move over or be removed by force. The next movement should be to find and charge thieving politicians. Now is the best time to go after these lot because all borders are closed for those thinking or running away.
Oh! I thought they 32 were doing one song. Like We are the world!
Oh! I thought the 32 were doing one song. Like We are the world!
Will ZNBC see it fit to interview the spectrum of our political leaders to ask them what they think? Is that too much for ZNBC to do?