Kina Zore

• Pop
• World

Boston-based Afropop group Kina Zoré commands the dance floor with earthy-yet-electric African rhythms that echo from frontman Helder Tsinine’s hometown of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Shortly after moving to Boston to attend Berklee, Tsinine formed Kina Zoré (the band is named after a Mozambican, traditional, celebratory dance) to share some of his songs and stories of his life in Mozambique. Kina Zoré has attracted international attention, including features on BBC Africa, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Agência Angola Press.

In the spirit of Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Thomas Mapfumo, Kina Zoré seeks to illuminate social issues that impact communities near and abroad. Tsinine’s composition Va Gumulelana (They Are Fighting), grand prize winner of the 2012 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, is a plea to end war so that children can grow in peace; inspired by the civil war that tore apart Mozambique from 1977-1992.