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Mathew Tembo is a multitalented musician, singer, songwriter, instrument maker, and teacher based in Lusaka, Zambia. His style of music, which he calls Vikonda Moyo, combines the traditional with the contemporary fusing Zambian indigenous sounds with reggae baselines to create a truly unique form. His current instrument of choice, the silimba, is a local version of the marimba. When mixed with guitars and bass, as well as other indigenous instruments, such as the friction drum, the combination creates an exceptionally pleasing sound. His lyrics, whether in English or in local dialects, can be straightforward yet profound, and often controversial, sometimes poetic.
Tembo started out as a reggae musician in 1994, playing with the Zambian band, Afro Vision. In 1995 he went on to study Music and Education at Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka. During college, he performed solo as well as playing keyboards for several popular Zambian bands including Waves Musical Youths, Bantu Roots, and Genesis.
His first album, Be Humble (2000), immediately produced hit songs such as Be Humble and Walya Nganga (Who Is To Blame, Is To Blame). The second album, Save My Soul (2001), was recorded with the Golden River Band at Blaisdell Studios in Groningen, Holland and included the hits Nelar and Kumwalya Ndimu (The World Is Unfair).
Life (2003), Mathew’s third album, was banned from being played on Zambian radio and its videos were banned from Zambian television because of the album’s political content. Recorded at Grace Studios in Blantyre, Malawi, Life included the songs Niulule (Should I Tell the Secret?) and Awelela Mabunu (We Are Colonized Again). The fourth album, Nuyopa (2004), was recorded in Lusaka, Zambia.
His 5th album is Vikonda Moyo and features a variety of guest artists, focusing on the theme of confronting HIV and AIDS. One of the most prominent guest artists is Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia, on guitar and vocals on the song Love in Marriage and featured on 2 other tracks.
Album 6 is entitled "Anthem" and features the indigenous Zambian marimba.
Mathew has played music in Malawi, Holland, and Denmark. His 2001 European tour saw him play with some of the best reggae bands in Holland, such as Step Forward, Ragga Maffia, and Quest for Fire.
Among the major shows and music festivals in Zambia that Mathew Tembo has played are The Annual Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show, Independence Day Music Festivals, Zambia Music Day Festival, and Swedish National Day. This year, Mathew was one of the main acts at the Bob Marley Memorial Festival in Lusaka.
Although Mathew Tembo is still recognized as one of the best reggae musicians in Zambia, he is choosing to focus more on traditional music. He is the founder of the Sing Our Own Song music festival aimed at promoting use of indigenous Zambian instruments. He knows how to make and maintain the silimba that he plays. When he’s not performing or recording, Mathew teaches music to children between ages 7 and 16, including how to play different instruments. Recently, a band of students he has been teaching won first place in a music competition organized by the Drug Enforcement Commission in Livingstone, Zambia.
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