A Black Aesthetic: A View of South African Artists (1970 -1990), curated by Standard Bank Gallery manager and curator Dr. Same Mdluli, features the work of Black artists from various backgrounds, whose style and approach to artmaking are distinctly each of their own.

Poet Makhafula Vilakazi is tired of living in the shadow of Shakespearean poetry. Born Matodzi Ramashia in Chiawelo, Soweto, Makhafula has created a brand of poetry that sees him delivering his rap inspired lyrics in township slang.”

Award-winning Writer and Director of the musical, Bolanle Austen Peters works with prolific choreographers, Paolo Sisiano and Justin Ezirim, and revered composer, Kehinde Oretimehin on the production. The character of Fela is projected by both Laitan “Heavywind” Adeniji and Patrick Diabuah who lead the thirty-six members cast, backed by a fifteen-piece band in the ensemble.

In fact so profound is Simphiwe Dana’s influence that her music has been incorporated into the curriculum at Oxford University, no small feat for even the most established of musician considering that to date Simphiwe has only released 4 studio albums and 2 Live DVD’s.

I want ‘Thandwa Ndim’ to bring strength and courage to women who feel that they are trapped in toxic situations,” says Amanda Black of a song that she wrote after seeing a news report of yet another South African woman killed by her partner. “I want these women to understand that they are not alone and that they are truly loved.”