A Letter To Azania by Thandiswa Mazwai At The Lyric Theatre
For over 20 years Thandiswa Mazwai has been one of the most influential South African Musicians of this generation, and on the 24th of November she will present a powerful live show entitled A Letter To Azania at Johannesburg’s Lyric Theatre.
In this show Thandiswa is set to use her music to weave the threads that illustrate her early politicization and her visions of a place called Azania. With A Letter To Azania she engages the idea that freedom is a restless place and that we have not reached Azania.
On the 24th of November at Gold Reef City’s famed The Lyric Theatre “I will reveal intimate details of my childhood and my search for Azania and what it has come to mean” says Thandiswa who is both “Nervous and excited because I have never done a show so personal.” She believes her fans “Know that I get very spiritual in my work, but in this show there will be an intimacy that I have never explored before.”
In this audio visual experience curated by KingThaLive in collaboration with Blackmotion Productions, expect a range of sounds that have influenced Thandiswa’s recordings and performances over the years: Jazz, Kwaito, Afro Funk, Reggae, Gospel and Traditional music. There will be songs from her own albums and renditions of tracks by some of her favourite musicians. Tickets are priced between R200 and R400. A VIP ticket will cost R500, they are available at Computicket on https://online.computicket.
Thandiswa began her career in 1998 with Bongo Maffin, one of the pioneering bands of Kwaito. After 6 award−winning albums with Bongo Maffin she ventured onto a solo career. Zabalaza (2004), her debut project, reached double platinum status and won numerous awards and her critically acclaimed second album ‘Ibokwe’ (2009) reached gold status in the first few weeks of its release. Her third solo studio album is Belede (2016) is a collection of reinterpretations of legendary South African Jazz and protest anthems from the 1950s and 1960s. Thandiswa’s selection is inspired by the music she listened to whilst growing up and her reframing of these classics serves as commentary on South Africa’s contemporary political landscape.
Thandiswa’s music travels through the village into the ghetto and raises the roof in the city. Her compositions today include traditional Xhosa rhythms, mbaqanga, reggae, kwaito, house, funk and jazz. Through this, she straddles the urban and the rural, effortlessly melding the traditional with the modern. It is with this spirit that Thandiswa has performed all over the world at venues including: the FIFA 2010 World Cup Opening Ceremony, the Apollo Theatre, Radio City Hall, Womex, The Cannes Film Festival, Africa Express, and BBC World Music Awards. The Guardian referred to Thandiswa as “South Africa's finest female contemporary singer.”
Twitter: @thandiswamazwai
Instagram: thandiswamazwai
Facebook: Thandiswa Red Mazwai
Show Hastags: #KingThaLive #LetterToAzania #Freedom #Music #MiriamMakeba #Biko #WinnieMandela
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