Nobuntu’s concerts have been described as vibrant, exhilarating and highly engaging. “We will inject them with hope, with love,” said Duduzile Sibanda. Nobuntu will perform Tuesday at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. Courtesy photo

Making their Maui debut on Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s Nobuntu is the first female group to sing in the South African style of mbube. Usually sung by men because it requires deep bass voices, mbube was popularized in the West by Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Paul Simon’s album “Graceland.”

“We’re actually the first female group to sing mbube all over the world,” Nobuntu’s Duduzile Sibanda explained. “We’re hoping that we’ll inspire other young ladies to come on because it’s not really custom stone that mbube should be sung by men. It was just popularized by men.”

Its origins trace back to “families back home as they were seated by the fire after doing their chores and everything,” she said. “They’d sit around the fire and sing this type of a cappella. When times changed and men had to work in the cities and leave their families behind in the rural homes, they started singing alone without their families. That’s how it got popular. So it doesn’t mean that since it was popularized by them, it should be done by men only.”

Performing since 2011, Nobunto was formed under the direction of 10th District Music label. “We belong to a recording label,” said Sibanda. “They called for auditions for the type of a cappella that we do. We got the spot and we’ve been at it since.”

They adopted their group name because of its meaning. “In our Ndebele language, no stands for mother,” she said. “And ubuntu is an umbrella term in Southern Africa that stands for peace, love, humanity, respect and everything good. So we decided that we’re going to be the mothers of ubuntu.”

Nobuntu has released three recordings — “Thina” in 2013, “Ekhaya” in 2016 and “Obabes beMbube” in 2018.

A World Listening Post review of their latest release noted: “Their two previous records fused Afro-jazz, soul, gospel and folk, some songs featuring voice only, some backed by traditional instruments. This time they are all mbube — the tight a cappella harmony style that traces its origins to Solomon Linda, whose 1939 song ‘Mbube’ (later popularized as ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’) became the foundation of a movement.”

With regard to subject matter, Sibanda explained: “We send messages throughout the world now that we realize that we have this platform of singing everywhere. We decided to have meaningful messages in our music. Our music is inspired by different things that we face in life every day. We sing about love. We sing about peace. We sing about issues that women face, especially songs of domestic abuse, and songs of fertility. We sing songs that encourage togetherness, songs that encourage love.”

Singing in their Zimbabwean Ndebele language, besides performing traditional music, they enjoy adding contemporary influences. “Because we are now living in different times, our music won’t always be traditional,” she said. “We also sing in jazz form, we sing in R&B form, we sing in reggae form, but singing our traditional music.”

Their concerts have been described as vibrant, exhilarating, and highly engaging, featuring synchronized dance movements and audience interaction. A Sarasota Herald-Tribune reviewer praised, “I cannot remember ever seeing an audience dancing in the aisles. But that’s what happened as the rich voices and exhilarating rhythms, both physical and vocal poured out from the stage to enchant a near-capacity crowd.”

For their Maui show, Sibanda said the audience “should expect fireworks.”

“They should expect to come out of the show rejuvenated,” she said. “They should come out of the show peaceful. We will inject them with hope, with love. They should expect a lot.”

Nobuntu will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the MACC’s Castle Theater. Tickets are $25, $37, $47 and $57 at www.mauiarts.org. Tickets for children 12 and under are 50% off.