body-container-line-1
05.05.2015 Celebrity

See How Kaakie Killed It In Zimbabwe

By Elorm Beenie
See How Kaakie Killed It In Zimbabwe
05.05.2015 LISTEN

It was a tripartite treat for fans that thronged ZOL Main Stage as artistes billed for the Dancehall Alliance ignited the show in solid performances at the ongoing Harare International Festival Arts (HIFA) on Thursday night.

All the anticipation surrounding the event amounted to a spirited show with Zimdancehall’s Mafia 19 King, Guspy Warrior, setting the pace by unpacking the Shona version of Shayne Ward’s Breathless, which has a reggae feel much to the adulation of the

youthful crowd. He then introduced Ghana’s Kaakie after his second track and the vibrant multi-award winning female artiste blended with ease regaling the audience. Clad in a white costume which was short enough

to attract a glance, yet long enough to cover the essentials, the "Toffee Pon Tongue" hit-maker proved why she is named "Africa’s Dancehall Queen" as she sang one track after another.

Speaking to NewsDay after her performance, Kaakie (born Grace Awo Ocansey), said she loved the local reception of her music because fans were in sync with her throughout the show. “I love Zimbabweans. When I was performing, I felt like we were doing it together because they were even dancing the way I was and some were singing along,” she said.

The Dancehall stage on which Kaakie played had the biggest space holding over 6,000 fans within just one sect of the gardens. Buffalo Souljah, the biggest Zimbabwean Dancehall act based in South Africa came through after Kaakie. Then all three acts (Guspy, Kaakie and Buffalo) joined hands on stage to do a cover version of Busy Signal's "Jamaica Love" which they did a remake as "Zimbabwe Love" and dropped their own ragga vibes on it. It was the most captivating moment of their performances to see all 3 acts on the same joint.

HIFA is an annual festival of arts that pulls over 40,000 audience. This year's edition had over 85 different bands/artistes in over 35 countries across the world performing in Zimbabwe - the 6 day festival was held at the Harare Gardens which hosted different genres of music, spoken word, sculptures, on over 35 different stages set about the largest fun garden in Zimbabwe.

IMG 3471IMG 3471

IMG 3480IMG 3480

IMG 3488IMG 3488

IMG 3554IMG 3554

IMG 3555IMG 3555

body-container-line