Zahara Mesmerises Harare fans

Photo courtesy of zimbojam

It was to a rousing chant of her name that Zahara finally made her appearance on stage, just before 1 am today, March 3, 2012, in front of a packed and expectant crowd at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC). And judging by the crowd’s euphoric response, the South African music sensation was well worth the wait. Fans could be seen dancing and singing along with Zahara all across the auditorium as the star, dressed in a criss-cross multicoloured dress and black wedges, took to her acoustic guitar and sang some of the best-loved songs from her album Loliwe. 

But the personal connection that many seem to have with her music was best shown when Zahara sang the song Umthwalo whose lyrics are a plea for help to lift a heavy burden that a person is experiencing. As she sang the chorus to this song, many crowd members held out their hands, as if in prayer, and sang along.

While it had been largely predicted that not many Hararians would show an interest in the concert, this was proven wrong by the capacity crowd in attendance, and their intimate knowledge of the lyrics to Zahara’s songs, sung mostly in Zulu and Xhosa. Often during her performance, Zahara handed the microphone over to fans to sing along with her; something which most of the crowd was up for. (Zimbojam)