About Us

A FUNKY SOUTH AFRICAN MBAQANGA JIVE & REGGAE BAND, combines Amandla (power)
with Poets (writers of words in meter) and was coined by the band founder
and leader, Dumile Vokwana, a native of Guguletu (our pride) village
bordering Capetown, South Africa. Collaborating with
songwriter/arranger/vocalist and choreographer Elouise Burrell, Burrell and
Vokwana bring forth a full stage show of music , dance and vocal harmonies
reminiscent of the early performances of Sly and the Family Stone and the
earthy and ancestor connected sounds of Arrested Development as they warm-up
concerts for such performers as Third World, Culture, Kanda Bongo Man, Lucky
Dube, McCoy Tyner, Maria Muldaur, Narada Michael Walden and others.
DUMILE SADIQA VOKWANA; from Capetown, South Africa , has performed
throughout the Bay area with Zulu Harmony ( a South African acapella
ensemble) as well as recording African Folktales and his own poet/musician
ensembles. A songwriter, poet and an actor, Vokwana recently dazzled Bay
Area audiences in American Conservatory Theater's "Dark Sun", and Athol
Fugard's "Master Harold and the Boys." Vokwana recently completed a musical,
"Afrika, my child", which was premiered at Kuumba Repertory in Houston,
Texas. ELOUISE BURRELL; originally from Palestine, Texas. An internationally
acclaimed vocalist, recording artists, dancer and actress who performs also
with Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, has performed and/or
recorded with the Neville Brothers, Santana, Taj Mahal, Al Green, Sonny
Okosun, Etta James, The Looters, John Handy, The Meditations, Buddy Miles,
O.J. Ekemode, Kotoja, Zulu Spear, Third World, Stevie Ray Vaughn as well as
producing three billboard charted singles recordings. RON van LEEUWAARDE;
originally from Surinam, South America, is a lead and rhythm guitarist and
the "high tenor lines on both guitar and voice" in Amandla Poets, adding the
textured layering for which the group is known. van Leeuwaarde is one of the
founding members of Zulu Spear, a popular African world music band during
1988-1994. ELIAS NEGASH; keyboards/synthesizer, of Ethiopian heritage,has
played, composed and arranged African, Soca, R & B, and Religious music in
his tours of three continents-Africa, Europe, and the Americas. THE HORNS OF
FIRE; SAX : TAL VARON from Kfar Bilu,Israel, performed mostly jazz &
classical throughout Israel, New York, and Germany before joining the Poets
in California; TRUMPET: DARREN JOHNSTON from Toronto, performed salsa, jazz.
funk and World Beat with O'Jays, Buddy Miles, Herbie Lewis Band in Canada,
China and throughout the USA. PATRICK OWENS; bassist, has worked
internationally with Barrington Levy, Pablo Moses, Raskidus, Wazobia, Sister
I-Live and Rankin Screw and Ginger. JAMES HENRY ·p; percussion, toured with
african, latin jazz and caribbean band for the past 20 years. MANNERS
ITIENE·p; drummer, from Nigeria has worked for ZuluSpear, Victor Massett and
the Mandators, Inka Inka, Jungles Apart, Wazobia, Sister I-Live and many Bay
Area funk, R&B and rock bands for over 15 years.
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! Here and Now!!!
[bandperc_3.jpg] A full scale production with rhythm section of
guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and horns, two lead
vocalist/ dancers will stop you dead in your tracks with their
infectious South African reggae grooves and stroke your heart and soul
with their sweet vocal harmonies and energetic dance combinations.
When appropriate, a six piece acoustic ensemble reaches deep into
South Africa's township jive, jazz and quella roots.
In performances at County Fairs, music and arts festivals to public
radio showcases and arts &culture centers, the Poets music has been
solidly rooted in Mbaqanga (South African township rhythms made
popular by Hugh Masekela and Mahlathini and the Mahottela Queens), but
the groove blends funky new jack swing dance rhythms and balladic
vocals and african style reggae made popular by other African artists
like Lucky Dube and Majek Fashek.
Articulating a need for change without appearing too preachy, is an
art perfected by few and attempted by many. "To hear them play is not
only to be entertained, but educated and encouraged to spread a
philosophy of unity among all people. They won over the crowd body and
soul." Patrick Taylor, Laney Tower.
The musical focus of Vokwana's and Burrell's lyrics, rhythms and
arrangements are as sharp as a sword and as solid as the shield
displayed by the band's logo. Amandla Poets music embodies the
philosophy of respect, responsibility and action through love songs of
the people, of the struggle for equality, power and land rights in
South Africa and a parallel resistance campaign in our own country.
Music has been povital to the calls to action and liberation movements
around the world throughout history. Poised to musically design a
vision of the next phase of the liberation movements in South Africa
and the United States with a group of musicians whose ethnic heritage
spans the globe, the Poets practice what they preach as they have
worked with artists from Israel, Hungary, Suriname, South Africa,
Nigeria, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Cameroon, Canada, Phillipines, North
America and South America. The Poets, committed now to enter a period
of reconcilation, mutual respect and collective work, stand firm with
fists clinched toward the sky and proclaim in the South African words
"Phambili (Forward ever, Backward never) "