The first song I ever heard by Siya Makuzeni was “Out of this world”, the more I immersed myself into her work, the more I rejoiced at how apt the song title was in describing her artistry in general. At two clicks of a button I was lifted off to an auditory Oz world of dexterously looped vocals, adorned with Xhosa nuances, hinting at an eclectic lineage influenced by genres that reach as far as Iceland while perfectly visible through my Jazz tinted spectacles. What else could I expect from a seasoned recipient of the 2016 Standard bank young artist award who was magically chosen by a Trombone in high school?

Joel Mpah Dooh’s show, ‘Stories To Tell’, is a record of lockdown. His residency at Gallery Momo extended, unable to return to Cameroon, Dooh hunkered down and produced ‘stories’ which are psychological. We enter the artist’s mind and heart, observe the world as he sees and experiences it. The observations are tender, in keeping with a temperament which refuses despair. Instead, we become kindred spirits on a human path, because what Dooh reminds us of is the need to remain human when all liberty is stripped away, fraternal and familial comfort denied us, our movements monitored, our sovereignty revoked.

There are few things more futile than the attempt to accurately define The Brother Moves On (TBMO). One is left only with somewhat vague and open-ended concepts like "collective" and "ensemble", which do a better descriptive service to the cause, than the word "band" ever could.

Slaapstad was never ready for what’s about to hit them! Daai Deng – a moving experience is hosting their fourth installation at Greatmore Studios in Woodstock on 29 May, with legendary headliners Makhafula Vilakazi and Niko10long.

Femi Koya, a contemporary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, ploughs a familiar furrow, with a strong focus on the horns and plenty of up-tempo percussions. The Ankara-draped musician exudes such vitality and vigour. Koya is not your typical band leader, although he takes center stage during performances, his repertoire relies on how he seamlessly blends his voice, style and saxophone into the band’s overall sound. He carries out a groovy trademark paired with his entrancing narrative voice, that, matched with his band’s background vocals, paired with muscular drum lines among other well-timed indigenous African instruments, creates an amazing synchronicity. His sound, a high-energy gumbo that compels one to dance but is nuanced enough for one to immerse themselves in and simply listen.

“History will keep repeating itself if it is not known by the present, it is with its knowledge that a change can happen.”

In my heart (and the multiple hearts that exist within my heart), I believe that as Black people we move through the physical world and psycho-spiritual worlds as archives. Your father’s nose on your face? Your mother’s wide hips? Your grandmother's high cheekbones? These exist as physical evidence of the endurance and invincibility of amaYirha, Batshweneng, ooXaba, ooJamabase, ooDlamini, Chavalala, Hlatshwayo as you move in the world.