KAPA DECH


Kapa Dech was formed in April 1996 in Maputo. A year after its formation, the band conquered a relevant place in the Mozambican musical arena due to its original lyrics and rhythms, a fusion of modern and traditional sounds. Their first album, Katcume, was recorded in January 1998 in Paris, France and achieved silver status in Mozambique. It was released on the TV show Live Africa in Dival du Monde.

In October 1998 Kapa Dech participated in the Verden Norden festival, which hosted musicians Baba Maal, Angelique Kidjo and Ray Phiri to name a few. In 1999 they toured Mozambique for the civic education campaign's second general elections. They performed alongside Jonas Gwangwa and Tsepo Tsola during the Mozambique-South Africa friendship week at the SABC concert and have shared the stage with, amongst others, Brenda Fassie, Mory Kante and Caiphus Semenya.

Their awards include the Music Crossroads festival prize for Best Band in the southern African region, which they won in Harare (Zimbabwe) in 1997. Kapa Dech toured Sweden and in December 1998 was voted Personality of the Year in the culture category by the leading newspaper in Mozambique. In 2000 they won the Ngoma Prize in Mozambique for the Best Band of the year.