HARARE - Prominest Afro-fusion musician Edith WeUtonga will embark on a tour of West Africa at the beginning of February.

WeUtonga, who is arguably the best female bassist in Zimbabwe, will begin her tour at the prestigious Festival au Desert in Burkina Faso next month before proceeding to Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria.

“After the Festival au Desert in Burkina Faso my next show will be at the French Cultural Centre in Dakar, Senegal where I will perform on March 1 and 2. I am also going to do a show in Ghana on March 4 before I proceed to Nigeria where I will round off my tour with performances on March 7 and 8”, said the talented bassist in a statement to the Daily News yesterday.

“I hope this tour will be a resounding success and a stepping stone for my music career”.

The singer and songwriter is confident that she will be a capable ambassador of Zimbabwean culture and music.

“In June I will be leaving for Uganda. Again we will take this opportunity to make our presence a little more felt in East African region by touring neighboring countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity of reaching out to fellow Africans in West Africa and hopefully by the end of this year I will have done shows in countries around Southern Africa too,” said WeUtonga.

WeUtonga’s manager Elton Mjanana said the tour will see the talented musician’s stock rising considerably on the international touring circuit.

“The talented artist has managed to penetrate the West African market — which is widely considered the bastion of African music, especially in the folklore genre.

“Edith is an able representative of Zimbabwean music with her chimurenga and jiti influenced beat”, said Mjanana.

WeUtonga and her all-female eight-piece band are known for their energetic and well-polished stage act that has earned them admirers in East Africa where they performed in Nairobi and Uganda last September. - Tarisai Machakaire