The theme of this year's first ever annual Isicathamiya awards, titled the Cothoza Music Awards (COMAs), is Azibuye emasizweni, a Zulu idiom loosely translated as “Let's go back to our roots."
It has finally been confirmed that the COMAs are set to take place this 22 June at The Durban Playhouse.
The awards will be honouring artists who have made the genre Isicathamiya, which is acapella music, to what it has become today.
The COMAs are designed to create a sustainable market for the Isicathamiya music genre making sure it gets the media exposure it deserves. Professor Joseph Shabalala, who founded the legends Ladysmith Black Mambazo 60 years ago, hopes the COMAs will expose the genre to a new audience, and he believes the awards will help achieve Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s dream of leaving a lasting legacy for our indigenous music.
Albert Mazibuko, who has been in Ladysmith Black Mambazo since it began, says, “The COMAs will honor and acknowledge great contributions made by Isicathamiya groups dating back from the era of Solomon Linda who created the globally known classic Imbube, and also acknowledge the current Isicathamiya artists who are the torch bearers of this iconic music genre.”