User:Albinombie/sandbox

Hello Class. Albino Mbie

Marrabenta

Marrabenta is the most popular style of music from the south of Mozambique. This style of music became the most popular music right before the independence of Mozambique in 1930 and 1940. Portuguese colonized Mozambique for 100 years. Portuguese musician were playing fado as their musical style at that time and they brought the influences of fado, guitars, drum set and other conventional instruments. Musicians or music students who had access to guitar from churches and from other ways felt the need to mix tradition music with new elements coming from the west. The church played a huge roll for basic influences such as tonal harmony and the basic use of progression like I IV V. One of the main characteristics of African music is that the music should be danceable, therefore, as the consequence of experience of imitating the sound of traditional instruments. Mozambican musicians came a cross to this style that was very inspiring to dace and sing and it became popular among the young generation.

Why Marrabenta? The name marrabenta according to vocalist Dilon Djindje, came from his amazing energy when he was playing shows around the Mozambique and the young girls considered that he was breaking the limits of the audience. People were calling the musicians “arrabenta” which means break it. Slowly the name Marrabenta became popular and it is steel alive until today.

In 1977 Mozambique was in Civil war, over that hard time Mozambicans were looking for better life and opportunities to work and most of them immigrate to South Africa looking for better jobs.