Thandiswa Mazwai

thumb|Thandiswa Mazwai Thandiswa Nyameka Mazwai (born 31 March 1976) is a South African musician, and is also the lead vocalist and songwriter of Bongo Maffin. She is also known as King Tha. Quotes Soul music is memories, it’s everyday life, it’s easy to consume. I think it’s that the soul, the spirit, resides in Africa so soul music here could also mean the beating of a drum because that’s how we invoke our soul. Award-winning artist Thandiswa Mazwai brings ‘A Letter To Azania’ to Cape Town,20 February 2023,By Bongeka Gumede The processes are different for every album. Nothing is ever deliberate. Making art for me is one step in front of the next. You don’t begin with a full art work, you begin with one stroke and then you go. And you ask what else can I do until it’s a full picture. Award-winning artist Thandiswa Mazwai brings ‘A Letter To Azania’ to Cape Town,20 February 2023,By Bongeka Gumede A love for the people, a love for country, and a love for justice. They form the basis for what the production is about using audio visual elements to stimulate imagination and explore history while moulding a new world. Award-winning artist Thandiswa Mazwai brings ‘A Letter To Azania’ to Cape Town,20 February 2023,By Bongeka Gumede I always knew that there were people who sang better than me, I never thought I would make it to this level. Thandiswa Mazwai: Here to to stay,15 July 2015,By Priscilla Malinga All I noticed was that something would happen to people when I sang, I found that people noticed me more when I sang. Thandiswa Mazwai: Here to to stay,15 July 2015,By Priscilla Malinga People associate my work with their traditions and culture and maybe there isn't enough of that in the music industry. The music industry does sometimes become a little poppy and more about the accumulation of things. My work is about memories and identity You cannot want to live in other people's expectations Your only intention should be to tell your story and tell it authentically. That is the only culture an artist should have. I don't have a desire for popularity or a desire for anything that people think identify you as a successful person. My success comes from finishing my work. So, as soon as I finish my work, I feel like I have succeeded. Anything that happens after that is out of my hands I have a lot of band configurations. I have a jazz band. I have the band I have been playing with for 20 years Thandiswa Mazwai on fame: You can't live according to people's expectations,16 November 2017 I saw army tanks while walking to school ensuring us natives were ‘well behaved.’ It was impossible to miss those things I was interested in something different and followed radical pathways to making art Music gave me a natural medium to express myself and all I was seeing Struggle didn’t need to be a bad thing, so long as we knew what we were pushing towards Having grown up so un-free, there was a euphoria hearing Nelson Mandela was being freed and that we could get an ID and be a true South African with the rights of any other citizen We were kind of swept away by this idea of freedom In spite of having a Black-led government, we quickly realized we still needed to struggle, protest, and fight We were trying to wrap our minds around neocolonialism and the way power corrupts Even as I sing in my own language about a South African experience,she says, I also see it as pan-Africanist music that speaks to the Diaspora as well. I create work that is interested in connecting us and bridging gaps Money draws people in and takes away agency Learn when to say no to the money, because it comes with so many complications and people who feel entitled to steering your career South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. “Awards feel like a spotlight on the invisible labour — the hours spent shaping the sound until it felt just right.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “It ultimately became a hymn of healing to so many.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “That intimacy reaching the world is humbling and has strengthened our bond as the artist and the audience.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “On a political note there’s still much that needs to be returned to the African child.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “On a personal note I had to reclaim the joy of my childhood self, the child who walked barefoot in the rain, before death left its mark on my innocence.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “I’ve never been someone concerned with fame or riches.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “From a young age I was taught that this is a gift that I must honour.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “These words spoke life into my future.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Tradition is an ever changing thing and so I let the ancestors guide the rhythm while technology interjects with contemporary ideas.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Nostalgia is memory and evolution is movement. Sankofa is both these things.” “Sound is sovereignty.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Too often, women are seen as voices, not architects.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “I wanted to own the layers, the frequencies, the silences. Every sound is intentional, every texture… is deliberate.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Festivals are living archives.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “They create space for communion — for strangers to become a chorus.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “When the music erupts in a space, it’s more than performance; it’s ritual.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Music deals with the spirit.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “Music can’t legislate justice — it can only inspire it.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) “It must move into policy, into action.” Thandiswa Mazwai: Barefoot through history timeslive.co.za (January10,2026) Sankofa is only a year old and so I’m not planning anything big anytime soon, but I am constantly mulling a new idea about, ready to go when the spirit calls. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) I love this idea of the “living school”. This is always alive in us, no? Everyone we meet, every experience, is a pathway to change and growth. Yes, you have mentioned some of the young people I love, like Zoe and Titi or Lia Butler and Kujenga. There are many. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) What I know about mentorship in my experience is that it is less about having someone teach you what they know, it is more about watching them, both on stage and off. It is about asking them how they see life in general. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) The stage is a great place for spontaneity. We rarely manage to repeat something verbatim. Those moments of improvisation are what I live for. This is a human connection! Spontaneous, visceral, honest. As we listen and respond to each other’s spontaneity, we feel a sense of elevation, a closeness with something outside the body. Something in the spirit. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) Respect for each other’s gifts and process while working. What’s also important a true friendship. This matters most. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) I didn’t always know this. All I knew was that I had to inject a deep sense of integrity in my work. But over the years, (I have been doing this for 30 yrs now), I have realised that there is something. Something about me and that stage. Something about the fellowship we share.  I have learnt to give it its reverence and embrace the beauty that music can create in the world. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) I have a massive passion for fashion and over the years I guess my personal style has been influential. I would like to design a fashion line. It’s something I have always loved. I used to make clothes for my dolls when I was a kid, and ke Bantu education also taught us how to sew dresses and fix hems as well as buttons. No doubt for our eminent futures as housemaids for the madam. (Ah, growing up during apartheid) I even learnt how to make a pleat. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) I was so happy to travel to Dakar and New York City for some of the sessions. It was a journey I will never forget. For its grace and its gifts. With every album I make, I grow, not only as a singer, songwriter, producer, but as a human being in search of community and LOVE. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) Making this album was all I had hoped for. This is not to say it was easy, but the process revealed such beautiful things to me about friendship and trust. About collaboration and the need for LOVE to always lead in the creative space. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) It was a slow process of digging in the archive at ILAM and imagining how those could merge. I did most of this with my collaborator Tendai Shoko. Once we had rough sketches, I sent those to Meshell Ndegeocello and Nduduzo Makhathini, artists I admire and have collaborated with extensively over the years. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) With my own money? I went to the CNA when they used to sell CDs and bought Teddy Pendegras. I really loved his voice, and he reminded me of my mother. But the first cassette my parents bought me, along with a bright red “Walkman” (Google it, kids), was Madonna. I was a huge fan of her rebellious female spirit. Like Brenda Fassie. 8 Questions for KING THA – Thandiswa Mazwai thejoburgreporter.com (Januuary 5,2026) I’m not getting any younger, and I wanted to create a space that would in some way house my legacy, Thandiswa Mazwai launches Sankofa Heritage Festival to honour Africa’s cultural legacy sundayindependent.co.za (January17,2026) Over the years I have travelled all over the world and seen firsthand how important it is to represent where you come from, especially as an African. The world has for a long time been harvesting ideas from Africa, and it is now time for us to stand tall to lay claim to our incredible knowledge systems and ways of being. The festival brings all that experience together in a space where we can collectively showcase our ideas and celebrate what was left behind by our ancestors or forefathers, Thandiswa Mazwai launches Sankofa Heritage Festival to honour Africa’s cultural legacy sundayindependent.co.za (January17,2026) They are both cultural workers who believe in collaboration and community. Somi’s work with Salon Africana as well as her album delving into Miriam Makeba’s discography showcases some of her deep interest in the archive and memory. Msaki works with a collective of musicians from East Africa. I saw them perform in Zanzibar last February and knew then that I would take South Africans to see them. Thandiswa Mazwai launches Sankofa Heritage Festival to honour Africa’s cultural legacy sundayindependent.co.za (January17,2026) Community is everything, and I’m only able to do this first iteration because of my sisters bayandixhasa, Thandiswa Mazwai launches Sankofa Heritage Festival to honour Africa’s cultural legacy sundayindependent.co.za (January17,2026) I hope to create a powerful pan-African festival that can celebrate all of Africa. We hope that it will become about more than just music. Thandiswa Mazwai launches Sankofa Heritage Festival to honour Africa’s cultural legacy sundayindependent.co.za (January17,2026) I am so excited to have my dear friends Somi and Msaki as co-headliners for the inaugural Sankofa Fest. Sankofa Fest: Celebrating 30 years of Thandiswa Mazwai timeslive.co.za (January9,2026) I can hardly believe I’m turning 50. I’ve spent more than half my life in music. My first radio hit came 30 years ago with a group called Jacknife. Now I’ve created Sankofa Festival with incredible artists like Msaki, Somi, Madala Kunene, and Thandi Ntuli, sold out Big Top Arena, and still won SAMAs for Sankofa. I feel truly blessed Thandiswa Mazwai brings her 50th birthday tour to Durban gq.co.za (March5,2026) Makhanda is a very dear town to me with many memories of sleeping in cold dorm rooms, rocking the halls, and dancing at old-school pubs like Pop Art. The page you are looking for could not be found. theherald.co.za (June19,2026) So, I look forward to coming back to what feels like my old stomping ground. The page you are looking for could not be found. theherald.co.za (June19,2026) We need as many free-thinking, non-conformist artists as we can get. The page you are looking for could not be found. theherald.co.za (June19,2026) So I guess the only responsibility is to keep the spirit of that youth of ’76 — the spirit of rebellion, dissent and fearlessness. The page you are looking for could not be found. theherald.co.za (June19,2026) “This year has been so hard, yazi.” Thandiswa Mazwai Reflects on a Devastating Few Months in 2026: “This Year Has Been So Hard” briefly.co.za (May 25,2026) No 50th birthday celebrations, no travel as I had planned, just heartache. Thandiswa Mazwai Reflects on a Devastating Few Months in 2026: “This Year Has Been So Hard” briefly.co.za (May 25,2026) They said, ‘Yeah, I mean, you. You'll play the part, and you've seen what you have’, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) The first thought was like, ‘No, I don't think you've got the right girl. You've got the wrong girl, please. You've got the wrong girl. I don't think you've figured it out. Please go back. Are you sure? Is it me? Are you sure?’ Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) But I'm going to slot those in somewhere, you know. We might put in a little bit of Miriam Makeba because you can't speak about Hugh Masekela without mentioning Miriam Makeba, who was a huge mentor to him. Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) There is no African singer who cannot cite Miriam Makeba as a teacher and a mentor to them, so we cannot do this without paying tribute to Miriam Makeba. Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) You know, sometimes people move on, and they forget about the tradition, our musical tradition. Hugh Masekela represents a very important part of our sonic tradition. And I think that this is just a reminder that we should never leave that behind. Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) He's a very important figure, not only in the South African, African and international music scene, but he's important to me just as a person Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: Thandiswa Mazwai, Buhlebendalo Mda to sing the praises of 2 SA greats ewn.co.za(September3,2026) Please note that THANDISWA will not be appearing at the MACUFE festival on 12 September. Thandiswa Mazwai pulls out of Macufe 2026 lineup kaya959.co.za (September,2026) Thank you to everyone who was looking forward to seeing us there. Thandiswa Mazwai pulls out of Macufe 2026 lineup kaya959.co.za (September,2026) In Europe, Africa, America, the youth are isolated in different ways to the way I was. I hope they remember that hate, homophobia, racism can take over if you let it. I am proud to be South African because we know about oppression… and we will stand against it. Historically we have always been in support of our Palestinian family. I am really proud of South Africa for using the courts to get justice for Gaza. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I want young people to keep these important questions in their moral compass: ‘Where do you come from? Who gave birth to you? What is in your blood? What is your language? Who are you?’ Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I am very proud of my sister Ntsiki, who produces a podcast called ‘Un­popular Opinion’ in which she explores issues that affect women in South Africa. We lead Night Walks which aim to empower women who go to work at night to feel safe. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) What? No! Never! I am not interested in a politics career… I prefer to create spaces like AmandlaWomxnFest, a woman-only festival [and I] live proudly. We might be topless there [at the event] because it feels so freeing! I use my performances to draw attention to issues like ‘corrective rape’ which was prevalent when I was at university. If it was discovered that you were lesbian, men would come and rape you. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I I met [South African singer and activist] Brenda Fassie. She was a magical thing, loud and queer. I saw myself in her and Miriam Makeba and Mamma Winnie [Mandela]… these women were protesting in the streets with us. Brenda asked me, ‘What kind of artist do you want to be?’ and I realized that I wanted to be like her. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) When I was 12 I went to an all-white school that had opened its gates to some Black students. Any time something went missing they called me to the office. The accusations were so often that I started stealing their lunches just so I could get a taste of their manicured sandwiches. All this opened my eyes to how different Black life was to white life. In the early 1980s we watched [the television series] ‘Roots’ [which follows the lives of an African man enslaved in North America, and his descendants] and it was the first time I got angry and wanted to destroy whiteness.   never wanted to make one particular style of music. I like funk, reggae, jazz, punk… everything bleeds [together]. It’s strange because in life I like to be in charge, but when you collaborate with other musicians, you have to allow yourself to surrender [to] their talent. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) When I was 10 we visited white friends in an affluent neighbourhood in Jo­hannesburg. I remember arriving at their incredible mansion with sprawling gardens and two giant dogs. It was a different world. Their son Matthew and I became friends and decided to go swimming in their massive pool but I remember being so uncomfortable that the staff who answered our every beck and call were all Black. I loved running up and down the stairs in their house but something in my young mind questioned why we didn’t live this way. I asked my parents if we could move house and they answered ‘Black people can’t live there’. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) My parents were journalists so there were always ink pens and paper in the house. I first fell in love with writing purely because of the beauty of how words looked on the page. Then I started writing poetry and lyrics. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) When I was younger I wasn’t really part of a group, maybe because when I was in high school my mother passed away. She gave birth [to my sister] and the next day, she died. I spent my time sleeping while my classmates were jumping over the school walls to go partying. I would wake to write poetry because of the depression and isolation of losing my mother. I found refuge in the pen. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I would wake to write poetry because of the depression and isolation of losing my mother. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I found refuge in the pen. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I never wanted to make one particular style of music. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I like funk, reggae, jazz, punk… everything bleeds [together]. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) It’s strange because in life I like to be in charge, but when you collaborate with other musicians, you have to allow yourself to surrender [to] their talent. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) What? No! Never! I am not interested in a politics career. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I use my performances to draw attention to issues like ‘corrective rape’ which was prevalent when I was at university. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I am proud to be South African because we know about oppression and we will stand against it. Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I want young people to keep these important questions in their moral compass: ‘Where do you come from? Who gave birth to you? What is in your blood? What is your language? Who are you? Thandiswa Mazwai found refuge in the pen newint.org (May1,2025) I put those four symbols on my chest and I made myself a kind of sentence out of them, handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) What that represents to me,is that in this time that I am alive, I am in the process of making history. I’m in the process of making and creating culture. I’m in the process of archiving, of preserving, of inventing. This is what I’m doing while I’m here. And the generations before me did that too. And what happens is that in my time, I refer to what my past generations have done as the blueprint. I say, this is our culture. We do it all the time. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) So, some of my dearest friends in the music industry didn’t make it to 50, handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) I don’t know if Brenda Fassie made it to 50. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) Brenda was only 39,” I remind her. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) It’s almost unbelievable for me. I almost feel like the kids that made Kwaito, they don’t grow up. We never thought that we would ever grow up. You know, we kind of still dress the same way we used to dress back then. I’m still wearing my Converse sneakers, still in a T-shirt, still in a long skirt or long dress. I’m still kind of the same girl, you know? handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) I think it’s more about holding on to the moment when being creative was something that had no burden to it. You were yet to find out who you would become, what impact your work would have. I at least hold on to that person in the Kwaito years, because that’s the childlike thing in me. That’s the part of me that’s able to create, able to play around with things, throw paint on a canvas, and see what comes out. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) I’ve now become aware that I’m not just a girl with a voice, handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) I’ve become a part of a thread throughout time. I’m part of the singing, part of the song that my great-grandparents used to sing. The struggle, the joy, the happiness, the rage, all of that. I’m continuing the lineage of using our voices. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) There is a sense of homecoming in this word, about saying, let’s come together to reconnect, to sing together, to see what new cultures and new heritages we can develop. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) Before, there was a culture of Ubuntu; maybe now there’s a culture of violence. The culture shifts depending on what we in the present time are doing together. So for me, the Sankofa Music Fest is about calling on my people, my friends, my community, to foster love, healing, and progress. Her curation is anchored in the deep, visceral pulse of African music: the drum handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) The drum is the main character of the festival. Beyond language and geography, indigenous instruments speak directly to the soul of a human being. They connect us to our past, and they open portals to the future. The drum ignites my being, it makes me express myself fully, physically. It’s a visceral instrument. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) We are going to make drums. Some of the activities will happen before the actual festival day. People will be involved. We want this to be immersive, not passive. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) In the studio, I place a spark of provocation in the music, handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) Then, in front of an audience, it can turn into fire. I provoke us into fury, into joy, into reflection. Art has to provoke and to heal, to open up minds to what is possible. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) Then, in front of an audience, it can turn into fire. I provoke us into fury, into joy, into reflection. Art has to provoke and to heal, to open up minds to what is possible. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) Heritage is not just something in a village. It’s in Johannesburg, in your township. It’s everywhere we are. When young people reinvent traditional clothing or patterns, that’s heritage too. Heritage is living, breathing, and current. handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) This festival is about growing a community, handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) A community about celebration, about heritage, about love, about future generations, about preservation and innovation. If we, as cultural practitioners, collaborate and mentor young people, we can create a culture of love, transformation, peace, imagination, joy, and healing. Then we can use our voices collectively to change our futures handiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) I use my work to provoke conversations about whatever is burning at the time. But an issue that continuously burns is: Who are we? Who do we belong to? What does it mean to be African now?” Like the provocation of her classic song Nizalwa Ngobani? Thandiswa Mazwai: Still speaking for future generations mg.co.za (Novemeber28,2025) No sales or awards signal success to me, really. Thandiswa Mazwai on winning 4 SAMAs, ‘Sankofa’ success, and her musical legacy news24.com (December19,2025) Music liberated me, and fame often made me feel alienated. Thandiswa Mazwai on winning 4 SAMAs, ‘Sankofa’ success, and her musical legacy news24.com (December19,2025) I just hope to be remembered as someone who found their purpose and lived their life to fulfil it. Thandiswa Mazwai on winning 4 SAMAs, ‘Sankofa’ success, and her musical legacy news24.com (December19,2025) For me, celebrating history means more than remembering the past - it’s about reviving the stories, sounds, and spirit of our people. It’s about using music and tradition as powerful tools to reconnect with who we are and where we come from. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) Castle Milk Stout and I have been partners for many years, grounded in a shared commitment to celebrating African culture and heritage. Together, we are amplifying the call to give Ancestor's Day the national recognition it deserves. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) Heritage is a living, breathing thing and should be engaged and celebrated every day. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) Ancestors are lineage. It is important to have some knowledge of what one’s bloodline has endured and survived and what they may have invented. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) I have been in the industry for 30 years and worked with many of my heroes. People like Hugh Masekela and Busi Mhlongo, who were not only mentors but dear friends. Also great legends like Miriam Makeba. I have been truly blessed. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) The intention of the recording is different from the intention of the live performance. One hopes to create peace and healing while the other hopes to inspire exuberance and a sense of freedom. But all of it hopes to inspire pride and self-worth for the African child. Thandiswa Mazwai on the power of music and the celebration of African heritage iol.co.za (May23,2025) It’s almost unbelievable that I am now turning 50 and have spent more than half my life in the world of music. Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates her 50th birthday and 30 years in music at the Sankofa Heritage Festival iol.co.za (November12,2025) My first radio hit was 30 years ago with a group called Jacknife, and I am honoured to still be one of the top nominated artists at the Samas for my album Sankofa. I have been truly blessed. Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates her 50th birthday and 30 years in music at the Sankofa Heritage Festival iol.co.za (November12,2025) There is a need for more artist-curated festivals that centre music, freedom and community. Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates her 50th birthday and 30 years in music at the Sankofa Heritage Festival iol.co.za (November12,2025) I am creating this festival to give space to upcoming artists and to celebrate our cultures and collective humanity. Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates her 50th birthday and 30 years in music at the Sankofa Heritage Festival iol.co.za (November12,2025) The team and I worked really hard to make Sankofa what it became, from trips around the world for sessions to getting the Tiny Desk and touring. I am grateful that all the hard work culminated in this incredible award season. From Eastern Cape feasts to Sankofa beats: Thandiswa Mazwai reveals her festive plans News24 (December 18,2025) The SAMAs are our awards, and if we don’t value them, then nobody will. From Eastern Cape feasts to Sankofa beats: Thandiswa Mazwai reveals her festive plans News24 (December 18,2025) I have been attending the SAMAs since 1998, and I believe that if big artists don’t attend and get excited about them, then the kids won’t have something to look forward to. Long live the SAMAs! From Eastern Cape feasts to Sankofa beats: Thandiswa Mazwai reveals her festive plans News24 (December 18,2025) This is the first album that I made in three different cities. From Eastern Cape feasts to Sankofa beats: Thandiswa Mazwai reveals her festive plans News24 (December 18,2025) Live performance is everything to me because it allows us to be in the moment and to sing to the moment. Sometimes we change song lyrics to suit the news of the day or the spirit of the day. From Eastern Cape feasts to Sankofa beats: Thandiswa Mazwai reveals her festive plans News24 (December 18,2025) Even as I sing in my own language about a South African experience. I also see it as pan-Africanist music that speaks to the Diaspora as well. I create work that is interested in connecting us and bridging gaps. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) You need to take on a fearlessness. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) I want to use that time to share my ideas and thoughts. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) I create work that is interested in connecting us and bridging gaps. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) Money draws people in and takes away agency. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) Learn when to say no to the money, because it comes with so many complications and people who feel entitled to steering your career. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) Struggle didn’t need to be a bad thing, so long as we knew what we were pushing towards. South African Thandiswa Mazwai’s on speaking out through her music. MISSION (2025) External links Category:Women from South Africa Category:Singers from South Africa Category:Musicians from South Africa Category:Songwriters from South Africa Category:Women singers Category:Women songwriters Category:1976 births Category:Women born in the 1970s Category:Living people