I have been travelling all over Africa looking for my own African queen to marry. When I find her I will call her Mrs Africa. I am still searching!

All songs written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Mrs Africa

This is a funny song about the irony of bad intentions backfiring. Mwajuma is a beautiful girl but she is like a witch. Not believing she is beautiful out of jealousy towards the other women in her family she learns witchcraft from her aunt. She is particularly jealous of her aunt so tries the voodoo against her, not knowing how powerful she really is, it bounces back and makes her sick. Mambo: Bad things happen.

All songs written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Mwajuma Mambo

This song speaks for itself. Mmm Nigerian cooking: Jollof rice, hot pepper soup and sweet coco yam.  Dayo, I love you!

All songs written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Recorded and mixed by Edward Shearer at MV Studios, Brighton, UK 
Drums recorded by Win at Black Wookie Studios, Lancing, UK
Mastered by Tom Leader

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited. 

Jollof Rice

Swahili
Kilongolo’s wife is crying because she is always left alone with their children whilst Kilongolo is out drinking and chasing other women. “There weren’t any problems at home. Why did you go? Come look after your children. You left for nothing! You are eating our money.”  A friend of Kilongolo is telling him, mano a mano, to go home to his family: Ume ondoka numbani Kilongolo kitubule, ludi numbani ume na watoto wako na mama mwabule

All songs written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Recorded and mixed by Edward Shearer at MV Studios, Brighton, UK 
Drums recorded by Win at Black Wookie Studios, Lancing, UK
Mastered by Tom Leader

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Kilongolo

Mr Untrustworthy.  His wife is singing about him, calling him a tomcat. He likes to eat everything!

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited. 



Bwana Gani

Swahili, Kikango, Kibantu, Kikwele
I came into the studio to record vocals for another song, but I had to get this recorded, immediately. The night before I had a vivid dream. I was in my grandmother’s village and she was singing this beautiful song with her sisters: 
When you see the big baobab tree you must be really careful when you walk around it. You never know who will be on the other side: a dangerous animal, an evil spirit or an enemy. Be careful in life.  You never know what is around the corner. 

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Recorded and mixed by Edward Shearer at MV Studios, Brighton, UK 
Drums recorded by Win at Black Wookie Studios, Lancing, UK
Mastered by Tom Leader

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Mwavita Kanda

The first section of this three-part song was written twenty years ago, inspired by the war in Sarajevo.  The song is asking, “God, what have we done to deserve this?” 
Mankind is being punished for its destructive behaviour bringing death in the form of war and natural disasters. The last section was written during the recording sessions. Tsunami!

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited. 

Tsunami

Kizalam
In this antique language, hinongo means bad heart. Inspired by an old song that Saidi’s daughter used to sing about going behind peoples’ backs. If you have a bad heart, people won’t want to marry you. You’ll need to seek witchcraft for someone to marry you!

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Hinongo

Kindengeleko
This song is a bit rude and tongue-in-cheek.  It warns of a young girls flirtatious behaviour. One day she is going to get into trouble and loose respect. Look at Mloko; she only wants one man – a Masai man. Even though this breaks the tradition of her people, she is strong saying, “I’m still going to go with a Masai man”. Yelo yelo ya Masai

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Banzayangu Hinonge

Bantu
In this day we hear so much music but so much rubbish is churned out of the processing plant. The old music of our ancestors (bakulu) was beautiful. Calling on the ancestors from all African nations, near and far, and honouring our music!

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Bakulu

Swahili, Kimanyema
Kalubega is in prison because he stole a kanga (chitenge). He eventually admits his deed to the police and is thrown into prison. This world we live in is like a fire. People can be driven crazy by their hardship. A man even sold his daughter for a sack of rice. Dunia baba, dunia ya moto sings Kalubega, Ai bamboo taba y tulonge: “me, I am a poor man, I have no mother, no father and no family and no car, so I have become a thief” 

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Kalubega

Kizalam 
A spin on the lyrics of a popular song in Dar, Kizogolo is a cockerel. A mother buys one for her daughter’s initiation ceremony, but it gets stolen the night before. No one knows who did it until they start smelling freshly cooked chicken from next door.

Written and composed by Saidi J S J Kanda
Produced & arranged by Edward Shearer

Copyright © 2013 Saidi J. S. J. Kanda. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright ℗ 2013 Mvula Mandondo. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, reproduction, performance, and broadcasting prohibited.

Kizogolo Django

‘When rain falls, the beans grow’. Mvula Mandondo present an original concoction of Tanzanian village roots, urban rumba and Afro-Caribbean influences, blending traditional and modern instruments. Saidi Kanda’s vocal virtuosity accompanied by commanding guitar-driven rhythms will make you move. Sit back, relax and let strings, thumb piano and harmonies wash over you like tropical rain, if you can sit still. Spanning a versatile range of musical styles this album holds a few surprises with new sounds and blends you have never heard before. Prepare to be ambushed!

Through Saidi Kanda Mvula Mandondo bring to life the traditional music of the Ndengeleko and Manyema people of Central East Africa, a tradition steeped in songs of deep emotion – love of the land, love within families and love of children.  From Edward Shearer we have deep influences from Caribbean, Bahamian and Turks & Caicos rake n' scrape music soca,  roots reggae, Cuba,  Salsa and West African drumming (not to mention the early classical background from his family). 

Recent review:
"I am a music journalist who happily got to hear "Ambush" before it was released. This record is absolutely fantastic, and I'm taking time out of my workday to say so. It's really that good. I can't say enough good things about it. If you're on the market for some unique, genuine, groovy, intelligent, funny, friendly, warm and exotic music, Mvula Mandondo has it all in spades. The songs are better than their 10 second samples can represent."

-Sean McCauley








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