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Dambala was a UK roots reggae group formed in the late summer of 1975 in West Hampstead by Gus Anyia and Alvin Christie. Notably, the group was unique for having no Jamaican members, which was rare at the time. They released their first record in 1978, a disco track titled "Zimbabwe," co-produced with Dennis Bovell and Jimmy Lindsay. The single achieved significant success, reaching #4 in the Black Echoes and Jazz Review 12" charts in June 1978. Their second single, "Rebel," featured Militant Barry on the deejay verse. Dambala was recognized as the Most Promising Newcomers by the Black Music and Jazz Review readership and performed on BBC TV, also writing the theme music for the program "Black British" on Channel 4. Despite their early success, tensions within the group led to the original lineup disbanding in 1979 after touring Holland, Germany, and Belgium. Gus Anyia continued to record under the Dambala name, releasing several singles, including "Rally Rally Round" (1980) and the album "Azania" (1983). The other members formed a new group called Inner Force, which released one single, "Holiday/Am I Wasting My Time," before also splitting up.

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