ZAMBIAN traditional artiste Sianene, whose real name is Evance Sianyekela, believes that his music can do more than move people, it can move the heavens.
Set to take place on October 31, 2025 at Lusaka show-grounds, the Cuundu music festival promises to go beyond celebration of rhythm and culture, leaving Sianene confidently declaring that his and team’s performance might be so powerful that it could even bring rain.
“We are going towards the rain season. We have come from a drought and then a bumper harvest. This festival is both a celebration and a prayer and through our music, it may even rain that day,” he said.
Thursday saw Mphande leading the Cuundu festival team on an official visit to Lusaka District Commissioner Rosa Zulu.
Sianene insisted that Cuundu music carries a spiritual essence capable of connecting people, land and nature through rhythm and ancestral energy.
The Cuundu Music Festival is shaping up to be one of Zambia’s biggest cultural gatherings, drawing artistes from all corners of the country.
For Sianene, the show is a platform to spotlight raw, undiscovered talent, particularly from Southern Province.
“We often hear artistes from Southern Province complain that they are left out of big events like the Mosi Day of Thunder. It’s not that the talent isn’t there but maybe it just hasn’t been exposed. That’s what this festival is here to fix,” he stated.
He added that Lusaka being a central hub, is the perfect place to launch this cultural wave and showcase Cuundu’s indigenous rhythm to a national audience.
“Cuundu doesn’t start and end in the south, it starts from Mumbwa, flows through Kafue River, parts of Solwezi and Mpika, down to Luangwa and Livingstone, even crossing into Zimbabwe. So, when you say Cuundu, even Lusaka is part of it,” he said.
Despite a lack of corporate sponsorship, Sianene remains optimistic, emphasising that the event’s mission is impact, not income.
He also praised Cuundu pioneer Mphande for paving the way for today’s generation of artistes and expressed pride in seeing Cuundu rhythms embraced in other parts of the country.
“Now you can hear Cuundu in Chipata, and see collaborations like Mphande and Slapdee or myself with Chanda Na Kay, it’s beautiful to see,” Sianene said.
“Through our acts, it might even rain that day through music.”
The event ineup includes Slapdee, Chanda Na Kay, Y Coast, DJ Nduna, Den Gee Kachaku, Mr Crown, Mpande, Real Jay, Mapock, Rockstone ZM, Tiger Tonka, Kadaa, and Mell Cee, among others.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba October 26, 2025
