Kina Zoré

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 College of Music, Tsinine formed Kina Zoré—the band is named after a traditional, celebratory, Mozambican dance—to share songs and stories of life in his home country. The band has attracted international attention, including features by 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 affect communities near and abroad. Tsinine’s composition "Va Gumulelana" (They’re Still Fighting), the grand-prize winner of the 2012 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, is a plea to end war so that children can grow in peace. It was inspired by the civil war that tore apart Mozambique from 1977–1992.