Point Black Africa partners with Goethe-Institut Zim to promote local music

Pungwe Sessions Vol 2 features 13 songs from artists Simba Tagz, Nutty O, Garry Mapanzure, GZE, ASAPH, Boss Pumacol, Chengeto, Soko Matemai, King Kandoro, Michael Chiunda, Sylent Nqo, Thaiwanda and Shashl. Pungwe in Shona translates to 'up all night' and is a reference to album's intention to keep fans listening to it on repeat.

Point Black Africa managing director Phil Chard told Music In Africa that the songs off the album will be released in batches. Three songs have already been released, namely ‘Problem’, ‘Pungwe Music’ and ‘Prayer’. The album was produced by renowned UK-based Zimbabwean producer Rymez and will be released on 5 June. Other songs on the album include ‘Did It So Wrong’, ‘We Party All Night’, ‘Do Anything’, ‘Look How Started’ and ‘My Time (Not Sorry)’.

“Zimbabwe has a wealth of talented artists who could benefit from investment and education,” Chard said. “The goal of this album and the writing sessions were to facilitate a greater level of collaboration among our artists and to give artists one-on-one sessions with a globally acclaimed producer who would educate them on how to approach their craft as a brand.

“There is empirical evidence that shows how much contemporary arts can contribute to the GDP of a country. Our goal with this project is to help create a platform that can educate and sustain artists for years to come. Thankfully, Goethe-Institute Zimbabwe understood the vision and partnered with us on this project to make it a reality.”

Pungwe Sessions Vol 2 is a follow-up to 2014's Pungwe Sessions Vol 1, which was also produced by Rymez in partnership with Point Black Africa. The first volume showcased Zimbabwean hip hop and featured the track ‘Phil Chiyangwa’, which ruled the ZiFM charts for 10 weeks.

“When we made the first Pungwe Sessions, the goal was for me to give back to my country,” Rymez said. “I was starting to find success in the UK and I wanted to use that visibility to promote artists back home. I think we were able to do that, but we also made some mistakes and this time around we wanted to use those lessons on this project.”

Rymez, who has produced such artists as Stefflon Don, Wiley, Tinie Tempah and Sean Paul, travelled to Zimbabwe in 2019 to work on the latest offering, which took eight days of writing and recording. The eight days in studio will be featured in a documentary that will be released alongside the album on 5 June.