Mozambican songs and sounds that flew around the world

Recently, a video of Lupita N\'yongo, a Kenyan-Mexican actress - the first Kenyan actress and the first Mexican actress to win an Oscar - \"rocked\" the internet. The reason? The actress revealed images of her visit to Mozambique. 

For many, it was a great surprise to have one of the great actresses of African origin who has conquered the world with her talent visit Mozambique, but for some the surprise was the song she used as a track to accompany the Vlog she shared with her millions of followers on her social media accounts.

In question is the song entitled \"Maboazuda\" released around 14 years ago by the renowned Mozambican musician and producer, now DJ, Ziqo da Silva, known as one of the forerunners and king of the Pandza musical style.

What many people don\'t realise is that this is not the first time that Mozambican music has enchanted the world and reached the level of true global idols. That\'s why we\'ve decided to bring you some songs that you may have heard around the world that are Made in Moz.

Shall we?

\"Nwahulwana\"

The song by renowned singer-songwriter Wazimbo was part of the soundtrack for the Hollywood film \"Journey Beyond the Stars\".

Wazimbo is one of Mozambique\'s greatest voices and one of the most famous singers in the style of music known as marrabenta. It\'s no surprise that his compositions have caught the attention of music lovers and attracted the production of the Hollywood film.

\"Nwahulwana\" was originally released in 1998 and is a song that expresses the essence of Mozambican music, mixing traditional rhythms with Wazimbo\'s distinctive voice. In this song, we hear the author worried about \"Maria\", who, when night falls, dedicates herself to \"making out\". Several times in the composition, he wonders who would want to marry her if she behaved like that.

The film in question is a major production in the film industry, with a renowned cast and crew. The choice of \"Nwahulwana\" to compose its soundtrack is proof that music has no barriers and that it can be a great tool for publicising Mozambique and its culture.

\"Cerâmica Negra\" and \"Xitchuketa Marrabenta\"

In 2016, Mozambicans were surprised to learn that two compositions by musician and social activist Stewart Sukuma had been selected for the soundtrack of the Portuguese series \"A Impostora\", broadcast on TVI.

The musician was invited to participate with two songs on the soundtrack of the series filmed between Portugal and Mozambique, during the filming of the soap opera in Maputo in 2015.   The songs were \"Cerâmica Negra\" and \"Xitchuketa Marrabenta\", the former in partnership with Portuguese musician Luís Represas.

At the time, Stewart Sukuma said that these opportunities are to be made the most of, with the aim of increasingly promoting music in particular, culture and tourism in general, since a large part of this soap opera was filmed in Mozambique; between Maputo and the Bazaruto archipelago.

Sukuma also added that he was \"surprised by the number of times the songs are played in each chapter, probably because Cerâmica Negra is linked to one of the most controversial characters in the soap opera, Rita Cruz (Yara Manhiça) and Xitchuketa Marrabenta plays whenever Mozambican identity is justified in the context of the story\".

The most awarded musician in Mozambique and a major driving force behind Marrabenta, Sukuma is considered the most international and one of the most dynamic musicians in Mozambique today and a symbol of culture, committed to spreading his country\'s music around the world, invited on important tours in Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

We\'re sharing these sounds, but you can certainly find many more Mozambican songs and artists who have travelled the world.

Are you outside of Mozambique and is there a song that is widely played there? Share it with Mozavibe and let\'s spread our Vibe with all our readers.