Jamaican recording artiste Hezron Clarke is continuing to make his mark on the world. He started off 2025 with an African music tour visiting a number of countries, among them Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Ghana.

The artiste reported to the Jamaica Observer that he enjoyed every performance and he received warm receptions at the successful shows.

Hezron’s intimate performance at Espace Culturel Miva in Lomé was a highlight of the tour. Staying true to his signature style that mixes roots reggae and soul influences, he performed hit songs such as
Man on a Mission, So in Love, and Forever and Always. He also treated the audience to exclusive unreleased tracks, showcasing his artistic evolution and commitment to universal themes like love, peace, and unity among people.

The highlight of the night was a moment of improvisation in which Hezron shared a heartfelt message of peace and unity, emphasising the role of music in bridging cultures. His interaction with the audience created a rare connection, intensifying the emotional depth of the event.

As the tour progressed, Hezron continued to connect with his African fans, undoubtedly capturing the hearts and ears of new ones. His performance at One Ghana Hub was a musical collaboration featuring legends and top Ghanaian artistes.

“Visiting Ghana always feels like home. There are so many similarities for me between Ghana and Jamaica, and I always enjoy a warm reception from the Ghanaian people,” the artiste told the Observer.

With the tour complete, Clarke plans to return to the continent for more shows later in the year.

Now back in Jamaica, he appeared on a slew of shows in celebration of Reggae Month, the first was the Dennis Brown Tribute Concert on February 1. Audiences received him well for the Bob Marley’s 80th earth strong celebration at the Bob Marley Museum on February 6, as well as the third annual One Love Jerk Fest in Negril on February 8.

On February 7, as part of celebrating Reggae Month (Jamaica) and Black History Month (USA), Hezron released Kuja Nyumbani (Swahili for I Want To Go Home) — a complaint to Mama Africa and assertion of African identity on February 7.

“I want to go back to my home, where I rightfully own, land of gold to soothe my soul, where kings and queens sit on their thrones. For so long I’ve been suppressed and consumed by the jaws of sorrows, been baked and burnt in the furnace of nightmares and horrors,” the lyrics assert.

The track is produced via Hardshield Records/Tad’s Record.

Kuja Nyumbani is the sixth single from Hezron’s critically lauded album, Man on a Mission (M.O.A.M), his second album released with Tad’s Record. Remarkably, Hezron wrote the song at just 19.

“At the time, I had an Afro-centric, revolutionary mentality, so I wrote a song called Mama Africa. Then I migrated to the US from Jamaica and African people around me told me to write some lyrics in Swahili so
Mama Africa became Kuja Nyumbani,” explained Hezron.

In 2023 Hezron was invited to Africa for the first time by Ghanaian promoter Cynthia Raymond, who extended the invitation after hearing several songs from M.O.A.M, especially Kuja Nyumbani.

“Cynthia cried when she heard it; many Africans in the UK and Canada have told me the song deeply touched them, too; they want to go back home but, because of their circumstances, they can’t,” Hezron shared.

The evocative black and white Kuja Nyumbani video, directed by Devon Morris, was also dropped on February 7. Hezron and his band’s performance of the song is interspersed with images of slave rebellion leaders Nat Turner and Harriet Tubman; African freedom fighters Steve Biko, Winnie and Nelson Mandela and Julius Malema; American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X; Jamaica’s national heroes Marcus Garvey, Sam Sharpe and Nanny (leader of the Maroons); Halie Selassie I and reggae icons Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, whose music often highlighted African struggles throughout the Diaspora.

In the song’s final verse, which Hezron wrote three years ago, he acknowledges the aforementioned individuals’ contributions “in fighting oppression and making changes for African people”.

Meanwhile, Hezron’s tour is schedule to reach the UK in April, followed by several Canadian dates including the Victoria Ska and Reggae Festival. He’ll return to Africa where he’s slated for the Abissa Festival in Cote D’Ivoire, which attracts an audience upwards of 60,000, and Nigeria’s Felabration (at the invitation of Femi Kuti), which celebrates Femi’s father, African music icon, Fela Anikulakpo Kuti.

In Ghana, Hezron will establish the Save The Children foundation, named after another
Man on A Mission track that has reached anthemic status in Jamaica.

— Additional reporting by Patricia Meschino.

Hezron.