Well-known, talented Tanzanian gospel minister Asagwile releases a highly personal new worship track, “Umenibeba.”
Umenibeba means “you have carried me” in Swahili. That phrase has been entrenched in East African gospel culture for years, on songs like the beloved one by Pastor Tumaini. Asagwile’s forays into that terrain mean he has something substantial to say about being carried through adversity and not merely stealing a trendy phrase.
“Umenibeba” expresses a feeling that is one of the most truthful things to say in worship. It’s not a plea or a statement about God’s might. It’s a look back at a path that wasn’t easy, and the quiet acknowledgement that something outside of you kept you going.
There is a weight to Asagwile’s vocal delivery here. He sings like he’s been through something before he got in the studio. What separates real testimony music from songs that only seem spiritual is the experience behind the voice.
The sound is warm and slow, built around delicate instrumentation that allows the emotion a chance to settle rather than racing past it. The arrangement isn’t moving, thus every lyrical moment has real clarity.
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