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Jazz Maestro Monama to Be Joined by Music Legends

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9 months ago

August 4, 2023

South African guitarist Billy Monama joins Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, Judith Sephuma, and Titi Luzipho for the Mayibuye iAfrika Concert, a one-night-only music experience at Joburg’s Market Theatre stage on September 9, 2023. This concert, titled “Mayibuye iAfrika: The Freedom Songs,” presents a musical journey between two generations of ancestral artists, celebrating South African music’s resonance with audiences worldwide as reported by IOL.

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The event includes scholarly discussions, allowing participants to “re-vision” heritage music for modern ears. Divided into two parts, the concert pays homage to the first exile generation of composers and the second exile generation of musicians. The first segment features choral freedom songs recorded by ANC exiles in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), arranged with works by Vuyisile Mini, Zinakele Nkaba, and Wilson Khayingo.

The second segment, under the direction of Monama and The Grazroots Project Orkestra, pays tribute to anti-apartheid stalwarts Letta Mbulu, Miriam Makeba, Jonas Gwangwa, and Hugh Masekela. Contemporary artists specializing in various South African music genres will also perform.

The concert promises to be a musical feast for music scholars, aspiring musicians, and fans of Maskandi, Kwela, Mbaqanga, and African jazz. Monama describes the event as a healing journey that celebrates the legacy of South African composers and musicians. “Mayibuye iAfrika: The Freedom Songs” will be a vital contribution to documenting and sharing South Africa’s rich musical heritage and a source of inspiration for future generations.