JOHANNESBURG – Thandiswa “King Tha” Mazwai has long been one of the most influential musicians that South Africa has produced.
“Nizalwa Ngobani from my debut album turned out to be the most important song I have written. I wrote it in honour of Mama Winnie [Winnie Madikizela-Mandela] and she graced me with her presence at the launch of my album in 2004,” said Mazawi to Eyewitness News.
“That night [when Winnie came to her album launch] would be the first of many times I would perform it in front of her. I would invoke her name at events and festivals worldwide, but singing Nizalwa Ngobani at Mama Winnie Mandela’s funeral was one of the most powerful experiences of my life.”
King Tha’s career took off in 1995 with the illustrious Kwaito band Bongo Maffin.
The band spawned music with a pan-Africanist leaning in the early days of South Africa's democratic dispensation and would become one of the pioneering bands of the Kwaito era.
After six award-winning albums with Bongo Maffin, King Tha pursued a solo musical career and produced unique and award-winning albums.
Busy doing my hair & getting cute for the girls in Cape Town. See you @ArtscapeTheatre . Big up to my friends @jagermeistersa for the support. SEE YOU ON SATURDAY💋 pic.twitter.com/R29yqEd78H
' Daughter of the Soil (@thandiswamazwai) February 21, 2023
“We are so excited to finally bring this production to Cape Town, fans are in for a show like never before,” said the soulful singer, who is taking her previously sold-out show A Letter to Azania to the Artscape Theatre, in Cape Town
Fans had better prepare to be dazzled by the songstress on 25 February 2023.
READ: Thandiswa Mazwai brings back her show 'a Letter to Azania'
“I hope people leave the venue feeling joyous and with the will to imagine a new way for us. Azania lives,” said Mazawi.
The show tracks a letter that the singer wrote to Azania, as a place of freedom, and takes the audience on a sonic exploration of the utopian idea of Azania while expressing the melancholy that comes with a dream deferred.
“The hardest obstacle was losing my mentors MamBusi Mhlongo and Bra Hugh Masekela. I had come to rely on them so much for so many things, not just musical advice. Being without them has forced me to create a new community, and I am so blessed to find it in people like Somi and Nduduzo Makhathini,” explained King Tha.
Centering on love, the show opens with the words of the revolutionary Ché Guevara, “the revolution is driven by great feelings of love” and Mazwai adds, “a love for the people, a love for country, and a love for justice.”
In this audio-visual experience curated by Mazwai in partnership with the Artscape Theatre, the artist will perform songs from her albums including Nizalwa Ngobani, Transkei Moon, Ingoma, Jikijela and renditions of tracks by some of her favourite musicians.
“In the same spirit as Natalie Cole's '_Unforgettable', _this show includes a duet performance with the late great Hugh Masekela. Expect a range of sounds that have influenced my recordings and performances over the years: Jazz, Kwaito, Afro Funk, Reggae, Gospel and Traditional music."
For over 20 years Mazwai has been a notable force in the South African music scene.
Her feats include a Kora award for Best African Female and four South African Music Awards.
Mazwai has shared the stage with legends such as Salif Keita, Hugh Masekela, Busi Mhlongo, Stevie Wonder, Cesaria Evora, Paul Simon, and many others.
A Letter to Azania is a 90min music special by Thandiswa. It tracks a letter she is writing to Azania, a utopia with freedom and no violence!@thandiswamazwai @jagermeistersa pic.twitter.com/g5O2ghFRS6
' #ArtscapeTheatre (@ArtscapeTheatre) February 20, 2023
Artmotion S.Africa
