Amachopha iqembu lika Maskandi eliphethwe uLangelihle Khanyile ofunda e-University of KwaZulu Natal Ethusini College. Lena insizwa esikhulile emculweni njengoba amagalelo akhe ake abonakala nakuBASCO, okuyiqembu lamasiko esintu khona eThusini la akaqhubeka khona nezifundo zokuthuthukisa umphakathi.
Ushaya isiginci aphinde alekelele ngephimbo lakhe kulo leliqembu njengoba esekhulile emculweni noma umculo walo iqembu ungakatholakali ezitolo zomculo kanye nokudlalwa emsakazweni. Leli qembu umfokaNgwane waliqala ngoba esefuna ukuphuma inxiwa lakhe emva kukoba ebe eqenjini lika maskandi iminyaka. Leliqembu belibizwa ngokuthi Amaciko okuyila akathwasa khona emculweni ngonyaka ka 2008 kuya ku 2010, nokuyila aziphumela khona umuzi wakhe wawetha elithi Amachopha. Kuwo lomuzi wakhe Amachopha, uhambisana nomfowabo uMbekiseni Khanyile kanye no Thabani Mabaso okuyibona akabambisene nabo kuleli qembu akanezifiso zokuthi lidlondlobale lifane namanye amaqembu womculo wesintu aziwayo eNingizimu ne-Afrika.
Ngike ngathi ukubhunga kancane ngimbuza ngenhloso kanye nezifiso akanazo mayelana neqembu kanye naye njengoba eyiciko. Ube esekubeka ngokusobala ukuthi into akazimisele ngayo ukuthi lidlondlobale leliqembu, likhule, liphinde likhulise nomphakathi wala akahlala khona eHillcrest ngaphansi kwenkosi uMkhize Embo, njengoba leliqembu lingelakhona endaweni futhi lithuthukisa amaciko akhona.
Okunye akudalulile umfokaNgwane ukuthi umculo wakhe unomlayezo, uyakha, uyagqugquzela, uyancoma, uphinde ugadle la akabona kungahambi khona kahle njengoba ezinye zezingoma zakhe zithinta kokwenzeka emphakathini ezimayelana nokuphathwa kwezwe kanye nokuziphatha kwabantu. Uphinde wagcizelela ukuthi umculo wakhe uxube isigqi sakudala nesamanje njengoba umculo uqhubeka ushintsha, kodwa futhi uphinde wakubeka obala ukuthi noma wakha umculo wakhe noma weqembu kodwa akhona amanoni okunandisa ajabulisa abantu.
Brief Overview
Amachopha is a Maskandi musical group which was formed by Langelihle Khanyile who is a student at University of KwaZulu Natal enrolled in an Honours degree in Community and Development Studies. He formulated this group in 2010 after being a member of Amaciko musical group, which he joined in 2007 and which gave him a platform to showcase his talent in traditional music and from there he has never looked back.
He is a former member of BASCO, which is a student ran organisation at Howard College, which affirms his admiration for traditional music. He hopes the musical group reaches a wider audience through distribution of his band’s music as he believes his music offers hope, light, serves as inspiration and even critiques things that occur in our society. In this article, there is an audio file from the group’s rehearsal and also a video as a demonstration of what they do as a group.
Siboniso Langa is a content generator, researcher and practising poet. His work focuses on Zulu oral and material culture, its promotion and preservation. He holds an Honours degree in Community and Development studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).