Prolific musicians Pops Mohamed, Buhlebendalo, Sibusile Xaba and Morena Leraba for the ‘Vibrations – A Celebration of African Instruments’ concert on Heritage Day (24 September). The free-to-view concert will be streamed on Music In Africa’s Facebook page at 6pm CAT (4pm GMT).

By Plot Mhako [with excerpts from Music in Africa]

‘Vibrations – A Celebration of African Instruments’ will be the conclusion of the Music In Africa Foundation’s 2020 Instrument Building and Repair (IBR) project, which will train 20 young participants to make traditional instruments during an intensive workshop programme from 19 to 24 September.

The aim of the IBR project is to encourage the use of traditional instruments in Africa and emphasise their value, especially for the younger generation.

Music in Africa

Pops Mohamed is a South African multi-instrumentalist, jazz musician and producer. Born in Benoni, Gauteng Pops Mohamed’s career in music was the logical outcome of an early exposure at Dorkay House to the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim and Kippie Moeketsi. He started his first band The Valiants, at 14.

Buhlebendalo Mda aka Buhle: is a Soweto-born gender activist and only female member of the multi award winning, internationally acclaimed and double platinum selling South African A cappella group THE SOIL

Sibusile Xaba A lynchpin in South Africa’s new generation of jazz musicians, KwaZulu-Natal-born guitarist and vocalist Sibusile Xaba has all the makings of an acoustic guitar master. With a vocal style that is part dreamscaping and part ancestral invocation, Xaba divines as opposed to plainly singing.

Morena Leraba is meshing cultures and sounds from far and wide to create a truly unique sonic experience beyond language boundaries. Morena is a Mosotho musician and shepherd from of Ha-Mojela in Mafeteng district, located south of Lesotho’s capital.

This year’s focus instruments are the Mbira and Kamale ngoni. The two-hour showcase will feature some of the instruments created during the workshops as well as contributions from accomplished traditional instrumentalists from across the African continent.

Music In Africa

The Music In Africa Instrument Building and Repair project is funded by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). It is implemented in partnership with Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut and Kaya FM.