Berita talks Afrosoul music, culture and African fashion

“As an artiste it’s easy to get comfortable, and I took a decision this year that instead of talking about it, it’s time to venture out to the world, the goal being to go to different parts of Africa first, before heading to Europe and the rest of the world,” said an excited Berita, shortly after stepping off stage at her ‘Live and Unplugged’ show in Kigali last weekend. The show, held at the Kigali Cultural Village, was the singer’s first in the country, but also the first music concert to be staged at the venue, located at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village. A Zimbabwean by nationality, but currently based in South Africa, Berita, born Gugulethu Khumalo, revealed that she prides herself more in the description as a “Pan-African artiste” or “Southern African girl”. Her Rwandan show came as the climax of her self-funded East African tour that also took her to Uganda and Kenya. The New Times caught up with her after the show on Saturday, May 26. Excerpts: Tell us more about your East African tour… For me just being on the road for the last three weeks has been the most gratifying experience. Learning more about my history and my people from the other side of the continent has been something I wanted to do for a long time, because I didn’t want to get comfortable in South Africa. I think that with the success I’ve had in South Africa and the challenges I’d overcome, I’d gotten into a comfort zone. The dream now is, I want to perform for audiences around Africa. How would you summarise your experience at the ‘Live and Unplugged’ show? The people of Rwanda are lovely. Like I said before the show, what I really love is performing and being listened to, and today I got that opportunity for people to stop whatever they were doing and listen to me. I was also able to share my story, and I feel incredibly fulfilled. Our aim was to create an intimate show where I could be up close and personal. It was my first time in Kigali. Many people that came out tonight did not know my music. Others had never heard of me. So it was so important to have that one-on-one personal communication, and my hope is that I touched each and every person that came out tonight and I truly appreciate the support of each and every person. Why Afrosoul, out of all musical genres? For me the most important thing is to make music that connects with people, and as Africans we are a people that have emotions, that have a history and we’re a people that love rhythm, dance, and melody. And I’ve seen my music touch people of different races and different nationalities, and I think that is what I’m all about. I do believe that people have different tastes and love different things. You may not necessarily play an Afrosoul song in the club, but on a Sunday afternoon when you’re chilled and having lunch with your family, it’s the kind of music you’d probably play. And 20, 50 years down the road, when you think of good old memories of sharing love with your family, you’ll think about Afrosoul music. That is why to this day Miriam Makeba is till Mama Africa. You are not just a musician but also a fashion icon. Take us though your wardrobe. First of all, as African women we’re women of grace, and the way we present ourselves is different from any other women in the world. When I step into a room, I want people to feel like royalty – like an African queen has just walked into the room, and I do that by the way I combine colours, because as Africans we’re a colorful people. Sometimes you can look graceful without showing skin, while sometimes you can tastefully show some skin. But I believe that the most important thing as an African girl is that people must not be confused when they see you. They must know that this woman knows who she is, and where she comes from – she knows that she comes from a great people, and as a result I like to wear a duke a lot, and this particular duke that I’m wearing is actually a duke that was worn a lot by Mama Winnie Mandela. This is a Xhosa duke that is worn by ladies in the villages when they’re going about their daily duties but for me it’s become a symbol of strength because music is my daily duty. The hair… When it comes to hair, particularly African hair, it’s special. As an African woman my hair is my crown, and the way I personally treat my hair is that I’ve always kept it natural. I experimented with braids because for me braids are an African thing. I like to refer back to the looks that our fore grandmothers used to wear, and I’ve seen that back in the day women braided their hair. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Berita talks Afrosoul music, culture and African fashion