Sabu Jiyana and Matimba Project

After 17 YEARS of recording, performing and touring the world, Matimba Frontman Sabu Jiyana has made it his personal mission to take his audience on a journey through the African continent through a sound he has coined “The Pan-African Sound”

Jiyana describes it simply as “ The true display of what African Leadership should look like in the 21st century”

Sabu started the ensemble in 2017 just after completing his Postgraduate Studies at the prestigious University of Cape Town. It had become painfully clear through his studies that traditional African elements and sounds were mostly pushed to the background whilst favouring foreign ideas, concepts and instrumentation took centre stage. He wanted to encourage pride in our own, and so using the analogy that when one is in Rome, they do as the Romans do... When one is in Africa, surely it shouldn’t be about chasing foreigners from our shores, but rather about educating them on our ways and our colourful cultures that result in a melting pot of colourful musicality….After all, isn’t that what Pan-Africanism is all about? Matimba has an eclectic sound, influenced by old African Practices, modern African practices, old folk songs, and church songs and also coloured with the culture of a very different 21ST Century Africa and the current affairs and tribulations faced these days in the beloved continent and indeed the world at large. Matimba uses instruments such as the mbira (Zimbabwe) , Nyungue nyungue (Mozambique), Akadinda (Uganda) ,uHadi (South Africa) , and the talking drum (West Africa) , Just to name a few. All this is accompanied by bass guitar, piano and the western drum kit.

Their brand of musicality accommodates both young and old, with each performance serving as a refresher course of sorts on these long forgotten instruments and their uses and origins. The band performs as a duet all the way to a 12 Piece ensemble. Matimba also offers workshops for corporate and masterclasses can also be booked via their booking email below