Mokoomba won the Music Crossroads award, which is the largest youth empowerment programme in Southern Africa, supported and funded by Norway, Spain and Sweden.   Their prize was a tour of Europe – but they were denied visas to tour the United Kingdom.

They will play at MS Innvik on thursday 29. oktober at 21.00

The concert is presented by Du Store Verden!  www.du-store-verden.no

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A Zimbabwe music group and winners of the 2008 Music Crossroads Inter-Regional Festival, Mookomba, have been denied visas to tour the United Kingdom. The six-member group was set to tour the United Kingdom starting on July 4 as part of the Music Crossroads programme. The Victoria Falls based band members are Mathias Muzaza (Vocals & Percussion), Abundance Mutori (Bass Guitar), Trustworth Samende (Lead Guitarist), Reason Muleya (Shakers), Costa Ndaba Moyo (Drums) and Miti Mugande (Keyboards). The British Embassy denied the band visas because the band members are “young and do not have assets in Zimbabwe and were not likely to return (home) once in the United Kingdom”. Mookomba won the Music Crossroads Inter-regional festival competition held in Lilongwe, Malawi in August 2007. In 2008, Nicholas Zacharia toured the United Kingdom as part of the Music Crossroads programme, while top Sungura musician Alick Macheso also toured with his band in 2005 although some of his band members reportedly disappeared in the UK. Mookomba is a traditional Tonga group. The name Mookomba stems from the deep respect that the Tonga people have for the Zambezi River and its contribution to their music and culture. Bandleader Abundance Mutori told RadioVOP that the band’s tour of the UK has been called off after they were denied UK visas. «It is a tragedy that Mookomba has been barred from performing in countries that helped create the team» Mutori said. The Mookomba tour is part of the Music Crossroads programme, the largest youth empowerment programme in Southern Africa, supported and funded by Norway, Spain and Sweden. The group was formed as Koomboka in 2001 and has become a household name in the Victoria Falls region of Zimbabwe. In 2004 the group recorded its first album titled “The first of Koomboka” in Harare, featuring the group’s senior founder Alfred Mujimba.