About
Zonatan Dembele
and his band Kabunga
“Kabunga's music is uplifting and original, almost like highlife. Blistering guitar lines remind you of the likes of Lobi Traore, while the vocals soar and have a nice vibe, almost like psychedelic music of a bygone era. One of the most promising and authentic bands, we have heard for years.”
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(Spot on Mali Music)
KABUNGA takes you on a journey through the ancient musical traditions of the Bwa people from Mali and Burkina Faso. Source of inspiration are the Deni rhythms, played at the end of the harvest season when people come together to relax, sing and dance. In a distinctive blend of these rhythms with funk, jazz, and blues, Kabunga breathes new life into tradition.
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The music grooves like Afrobeat, radiating the energy of Fela Kuti.
At its heart are the traditional an’an and dumanu drums, enriched by contemporary instruments such as ngoni, tama, balafon, drums, bass, guitar, and saxophone.
Shows are a vibrant celebration of life—sometimes up-tempo and catchy, sometimes calm and meditative, but always driven by an irresistible rhythmic pulse.​​​​​
Kabunga is a project of ZONATAN DEMBELE, a Malian artist with Bwa roots. His musical journey begins at the age of nine, when he picks up the guitar during church services. ​He studies music at the conservatories of Bamako, Helsinki and Aalborg.
Straight out of university, he plays bass with several internationally renowned artists, including Rokia Traoré and Dawda Jobarteh. At the same time, he embarks on a solo career that showcases his diverse talents as a composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.
Zonatan his music pays homage to the rhythms and melodies of
his Bwa ancestors, infusing them with a contemporary sensibility that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds. ​He plays with many kinds of musicians, loves improvisation and mixing different musical genres. Each new encounter makes him grow and adds more colour to his music.
Since his arrival in Belgium in 2019, he collaborates with top musicians such as Steven De bruyn and Roland Van Campenhout, plays with Kabunga both in Belgium and abroad and provides the support act for Amadou & Mariam and Adédèji.
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In 2022, Zonatan receives a talent development grant from the Flemish Community. In 2023, he becomes one of the six laureates of the Copa Sessions, which had more than 190 participating bands, and is selected as an artist-in-residence at De Centrale for the 2023–24 season.
He and his band are currently working on the recordings of a
first EP, which will be released in early 2026.​​​​