Kabunga

Kabunga immerses his audience in the ancient music tradition of the Bwa, a population group from Mali and Burkina Faso. Kabunga combines traditional drums with modern instruments, interweaving Bwa music with other African rhythms, jazz and blues to create a surprising sound reminiscent of Fela Kuti's well-known Afrobeat.  True to the Bwa tradition, Kabunga's performances are a wonderfully effervescent celebration of life, full of catchy, danceable grooves.

Kabunga is the project by Malian artist Zonatan Dembele, singer-bassist with Rokia Traoré and Ben Zabo a.o. since 2013 and solo artist since 2015.  Zonatan has been a guest at De Centrale more than once, with his own project, but also with Kwame Mülzz, Steven De Bruyn or Roland. At the end of 2022, he and his band worked on a series of new songs during a residency at De Centrale.

line-up
Zonatan Dembele. vocals & bass
Joel Massa Diarra. balafon
Zouratie Kone. percussion
Freddie David Webber. guitar
Hadrian Pierson. drums
Joachim Thijs. sax