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Chitonga is a minority language, spoken by about 180.000 people of the Tonga tribe in the Nkhata Bay region in Malawi. Tonga Heritage’s songs are a mix of traditional Tonga songs and original material, often describing life and customs in the village. The music is a blend of Tonga drumming rhythms (that goes with the Malipenga dance) and more modern genres. The song writer and driving force in the band is Chapasi Black, who’s a very accomplished percussionist with an unmistakably unique vocal style along with both a sense of the traditional and serious pop-sensibility. The album is often simple and straight forward – catchy with a contagious beat, but at times also layered and complex in rhythms and harmonies. Much like I’ve experienced Tonga traditions and people during my 8 years in the region.