South Africa’s greatest composer was uniquely shaped by his early years of singing at traditional Zulu weddings and working in jazz bands and church choirs.
Steve Kekana in 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Photo by Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Despite devastating setbacks like his studio being vandalised, the saxophonist and teacher believed that music can heal - part of a vision that shaped a future generation of jazz artists.
Sibongile Khumalo performing in London in 2009.
Brigitte Engl/Redferns
She was a vocalist who sang in every style – from Carmen to UShaka – with equal mastery, popularising classical forms and epitomising ‘the new South Africa’.
Drummer Jason Moser records a live-streamed performance in a South African theatre during lockdown.
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Like Pata-Pata, Homeless and Mbube, the song Jerusalema is elevated by a historical moment in time and has the power to cross over to different audiences.
Angolan dance troupe Fenómenos do Semba.
Courtesy Adilson Maiza for Fenómenos do Semba
During the coronavirus pandemic the Jerusalema dance challenge enacted a way for communities to connect - repetitive enough to be picked up and varied enough to tease.