King Thandiswa Mazwai’s sold-out show ‘A Letter to Azania’ comes to Cape Town at the end of February.
Johannesburg - It took a while but Thandiswa Mazwai is bringing her love for Azania to the Mother City.
Legendary performing artist Mazwai announced that she will be performing the sold-out show “A Letter To Azania” at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town, on February 25.
The performance is intended to invite the audience into an imagined world, and in her words, drive a revolution of, “a love for the people, a love for country, and a love for justice.”
Ahead of the performance, the artist (popularly known as King Tha) said she felt excited to finally return to “her family” in Cape Town after a long period of not performing in the city.
“It has been such a long time since I have had a show in Cape Town,” she said.
“This is my work's greatest aspiration. That people come to my show and feel a shift somewhere within them. I believe in love and its power to transform things/moments. I also believe in justice. Music and performance are how I share those aspirations with the world.”
‘A Letter to Azania’ is a letter told through song by Mazwai, telling her vision of a place of freedom, using the histories and stories that inspired and surrounded her.
The show is described as an intimate look at Mazwai’s early life and the politicisation of the artist’s mind. It’s what she calls a sonic memoir. Audience members can expect sounds of jazz, kwaito, afro-funk, reggae, and even gospel and traditional music to be played on stage.
“Azania has always been a dream, which is now best described by the Portuguese word ‘Saudade’, which means a deep melancholy or longing for something or someone, whose whereabouts are unknown,” Mazwai explained.
“Because it is a utopian idea, one which we continue to go further and further away from since our freedom in ‘92, we are now faced with citizens who are either jaded or gone rogue.”
Mazwai has long been lauded as one of the best and most loved performing artists to arise from the vast successful pool of Mzansi’s arts scene. She is considered one of the country’s most influential following her rise to fame with the pioneering kwaito band, Bongo Maffin.
After venturing into a solo career with her debut album “Zabalaza” (2004), Mazwai has grown to become a global household name known for her riveting performances.
There will be songs from her own albums, such as Nizalwa Ngobani, Ingoma, Jikijela, and covers of songs by some of her favourite musicians that have inspired her music.
Mazwai said she hoped the audience would continue to feel the passion and drive that she has for the fight for justice and transformation of our society.
“It is as important now, more than ever, to speak truth to power and unify the people of this country under an ethos of Ubuntu and justice. As we struggle with seeing our country pillaged by unscrupulous politicians, it is important for us to remember who we are and what we really fight for as the people of this country, this continent and this world at large,” Mazwai said.
“[I hope] that people come to my show and feel a shift somewhere within them. I believe in love and its power to transform things/moments. I also believe in justice. Music and performance are how I share those aspirations with the world.”
Tickets at the Artscape theatre are R350 – R600 on Computicket.