This is a song sung in Kalanga. There are many different kinds of bees and wasps in Southern Africa. At home in Zimbabwe, there is one we call a ‘muze muze’. The muze muze makes its home inside huts and houses and poses no threat to humans. It is not an aggressive creature and lives peaceably alongside the other inhabitants. On the other hand, there is another kind called a ‘mago’. The mago lives in colonies and attacks any thing that comes close. We have a proverb: Segregation is for the mago. This song uses this proverb and tells us that it’s better to be like the muze muze.

Muze Muze (wasp)

Tanga Pasi means ‘Starting from Scratch’, which is what we are doing here in the Kalanga-speaking western corner of Zimbabwe. Tanga Pasi is a versatile band based in Plumtree. They are crafting Nu-Afro music; a unique fusion of reggae, afro-jazz, folk, rock, Kalanga rhythms and traditional Ndebele harmonies. With a contemporary yet culturally-grounded feel, Tanga Pasi fuse styles, rhythms and instruments. Their lyrics are mindful, their harmonies soulful and their rhythms rock.

Tanga Pasi began in June 2009, when lead vocalist and song-writer, Sinini Ngwenya, gathered together a few friends in the dusty and remote rural areas around Plumtree. With not much employment or entertainment around, they decided to put a band together as a way of uplifting the community. 

They are currently busy working on their debut album, full of common social themes uniquely expressed. 