---

Article Vote	1 2 3 4 5	Current Rating

---

TSHITOMBONI – A well-known musician, Christopher Mukwevho, proved that education and music can merge, when he received two awards from the Mulenzhe Development Trust for his contribution to the development of Venda music.

Mukwevho is the leader and founder of the famous musical group, Thrilling Artists, and he is also the headmaster of Mukhwantheli Secondary School at Didididi, outside Thohoyandou.

Mulenzhe Development Trust is an independent body which aims to create wealth from sustainable projects targeted at tourism, mining, agriculture, property development and other strategic investments, the proceeds of which will cross-subsidise community development needs.

Mukwevho received his awards during the Mulenzhe Day Celebrations held at the Chiefs’ palace recently. He was honoured for leading one of the oldest South African bands with integrity and being the best lyricist and composer. The Thrilling Artists became famous for their unforgettable songs Mukhada o ntshuma, Hanihani and Salani in the eighties.

“My late father, Daniel, played Mbila and my mother Alidzulwi, was a Lugube player. Their love for music planted a seed of musical hope in me and that is why I decided to start a family band. The Thrilling Artists started as an entertaining group, performing at wedding feasts, Christmas carnivals and school concerts. I was a great pennywhistle player in the 1950s and my love for music never stopped growing. We bought our first guitar in 1960 after we raised money by collecting wood and cleaning other people’s houses. I teamed with my brother, Abel, and Ronald Mulaudzi and we contributed funds to buy our first set of musical instruments in the late sixties.”

Mukwevho said the first recoding of his band was in 1975 with the then Radio Venda. “The album carried the song Phophi ni a tuwa, which entered the Astera Competition, but was beaten by Ni ambara suthu by Sibasa Pirates. We then recorded Mukhada o ntshuma in 1981 and it took the national music industry by storm, winning the first prize in the Astera Competitions. We then went to Gallo studios in Johannesburg and re-recorded Mukhada o ntshuma in 1983. I was the composer, lead vocalist and accordion player, whereas Abel was on lead guitar. Although Colbert was still very young, he was on bass guitar and backing vocal with Morgan Manyaga. We again went back to the studios and recorded Hani-Hani which was released in 1986 and had the same impact as Mukhada o ntshuma…”

Other recordings that made the Thrilling Artsists more famous include Tshigombela (1988), Thrilling Africa (2000) Ri do tshila but once (1990), and Kholovhulara (2005). Mukwevho is currently working on Generation, a pennywhistle-dominated album which will be released in the near future.

Asked how he balances his musical career, family commitments and academic activities, Mukwevho said:“It is a matter of hard work, effective time management and perseverance.” He thanked all the people who supported him in his musical career until he became what he is today. “I dedicate these awards to my fans because they contributed highly to my musical success story. I am also very proud for having produced a great musician such as Colbert (Harley and the Rasta Family) and I thank God for giving me the strength to work unselfishly to achieve my goals…”

 

 

No additional Photos attatched to this article

 

 

 

 

No additional Files attatched to this article

 

 

 

   Please login to be able to post a comment