Namwaaka

Namwaaka was born in July 1997 when Tzipora, Rob and a few other friends got together to form a music group that embodied the new South Africa. Magic was made that July, and the group grew from strength to strength. Eventually, the group was whittled down to just two members, who continued making music with tinges of Afro-Pop, World and Afro-Fusion elements. In 2003, the group's efforts were rewarded with a top 20 placement in the Hansa Pilsener Metro FM songwriting competition, where the duo's strong songwriting skills came to the fore. Again, in 2006, Namwaaka was rewarded for their efforts by winning the Top Billing Momentum Lifestyle Award in the music category, beating SAMA winners Godlfish and the Moreira Project, and well-established acts Coda and Sean Burke. Originally known as Platoon, the group opted to change their name in 2009 to Namwaaka, which is more African."Platoon didn't really say anything about who we are or what kind of music we did. After much soul searching, we opted for a more African name," says Rob Rodell."'Namwaaka' means 'years' in Chichewa, and this much better reflects the group's ethos," says Tzipora."Since it means 'years,' it's also a better reflection of how long we've been together and how long we've been doing this." The group released their debut album, Room for One More, in 2008 and are currently in studio working on a re-release of the album and a second album.