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Thandiswa Mazwai’s makes Tiny Desk concert dream debut

Thandiswa Mazwai’s makes Tiny Desk concert dream debut

South African music fans rejoiced when legendary Thandiswa Mazwai, a powerhouse vocalist and champion of kwaito music, graced the stage (well, desk) for NPR's beloved Tiny Desk Concert series.  Premiering on YouTube on April 1, 2024, Mazwai's Tiny Desk set signifies a pivotal moment, not only for the singer but also for the global music community eagerly acquainting themselves with her sounds and performance style in this intimate setting. Mazwai follows a growing list of African artists from across the continent being honoured and platformed on the American YouTube channel. These names include the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Benin’s Angelique Kidjo,…
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The spirit, life and art of Tsepo Tshola, pastor of South African pop

The spirit, life and art of Tsepo Tshola, pastor of South African pop

I grieve to start this way. No sooner had I struggled to find some means to say my goodbyes to Mabi Thobejane and Steve Kekana, than South African music lost singer and composer Tsepo Tshola. DAVID COPLAN, Professor Emeritus, Social Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand These three masters of the nation’s musical soul were famous, but not celebrities. Because they never acted like that. Complex personalities and talents, they all possessed that son-of-the-soil joviality that made them ever accessible and “simple” in the reverent way South Africans use that adjective. I remember, in 1978, during one of my many research…
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