Cecil John Rhodes: British Empire Hitman

The new album is a companion piece to the larger cultural memory work of Somi's original play, Dreaming Zenzile, which is based on the life of Miriam Makeba and will open Off-Broadway in New York City in June 2022 after touring across theaters in United States since Fall 2021.

Translating from Hausa as ‘tales’ (folk or fairytales), Tatsuniya centres improvisation, childhood and colloquial methods of self-development. Across these video works and photographic images, students are seen playing in scenes choreographed during collaborative workshops.

In as far as our locale in South Africa is concerned, as it stands the status quo of South Africa’s mainstream curriculum, pertaining to the subject of history, from the basic education level (namely from Grade 10 to 12) until undergraduate tertiary level, continuously renders pioneering leading figures such like AVK as perpetually invisible.

Although the case has been repeatedly labelled as one of racism, I found it more pressing to analytically review the play as a case of cultural confusion within the people of African descent just as the play has done.

Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba, is a celebration of the late Makeba’s invaluable musical contributions and messages of social justice.

Thandiswa Mazwai has been one of the most influential musicians on the South African music scene. She began her career in 1995 with Bongo Maffin, one of the pioneering bands of the Kwaito era. After 6 award-winning albums with Bongo Maffin she ventured onto a solo career.