Meet Deborah Kabongo – 27-year-old professional dancer, writer, singer, and doctor in the making currently studying her Honours in Sports Medicine and Management. Known to some on social media by her handle @iamdeboh, full name Deborah Nyasha Kabongo- she was born to Daphne and Norbert Kabongo in Harare, Zimbabwe, but is of Congolese origin. Her goal is to fuse different worlds and breed a deeper understanding to kinesiology and the art world.
Deborah’s love for dance started at a young age, “I must’ve been barely 10 years old when I first saw Usher Raymond dancing to U-turn then I watched Omarion in “You got Served” and my body went with the flow. I’ve been dancing since then, at some point it was a money-making survival job as I worked in the commercial world more, but my deeper love for dance evolved in the past 5 years.
I have been dancing professionally for about 8 years now and I specialise in lyrical contemporary, hip hop and some African dances. I am a self-trained dancer, but I credit a few places that have added to my knowledge including Afrikera Arts Trust and on a bulk my time spent in China since 2017.”
Deborah’s biggest highlight as a dancer, “has to be meeting and sharing a stage with the @officialroyalfamilycrew and @Kinjaz in Shanghai in 2019. I have also enjoyed working in music videos with @Jahprayzah and Bryan K locally. Overall, my 3-year experience in China was epic. I want to work with Fatima Robinson and Parris Goebel in the future.”
The dancer offers her advice to upcoming dancers, “Train, learn, grow and never stop advancing your skills every single day BEFORE you pretend to be a brand and demand respect. Know your worth, be fearless in trying new styles of dance and stretching past your limits. Hustle and be business minded, for as long as you don’t believe the importance of your dance as a career, then your gift will never make you money or take you past where you are. Above all no one owes you anything and don’t get comfortable in an entitlement trap.”
The young Zimbabwean has written two books, Scented Coffins and IamObliage. Inspired by pain and life experiences that draw you to a place of creativity and creation. Deborah is currently working on her books being published by a publishing company, she aims to release details soon on where to get her books. Follow her @iamdeboh and keep an eye out. From her new writings she wants, “people to fall in love, trust more, love harder and deeper. The view of relationships that the millennials have painted is distorted and scary, but I’m a sucker for old school chills.”
Deborah is working on an EP with producer TexasZW as she launches her music career, it will be RnB and Neo Soul, her music is influenced by the likes of Snoh Aalegra, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Sabrina Claudio, and Sevdaliza. Expect it soon…
Her current most played songs are:
Trip Lee – Sweet Victory
NF – Oh Lord
Sabrina Claudio – Orion’s Belt
Snoh Aalegra – Dying 4 ur Luv
Shekinah – Fixate
Deborah wants to be remembered as someone who, “lived for Christ and to make Christ known, I want to use the gifts God gave me to bring souls closer to the cross. I want someone to say they had it better because of me, something I said to them or did for them.
To connect with her on social media:
Facebook: Deborah Kabongo
Instagram: @iamdeboh
YouTube: Deborah Kabongo
Thank you for reading, be sure to follow Deborah on social media and check out her work. Please leave a comment/like 😊
