Thandiswa Mazwai: Tiny Desk x globalFEST

In 2021, the Tiny Desk x globalFEST series was created to promote international music discovery. For the last three years, artists from around the globe have performed Tiny Desk (home) concerts from their respective countries, but for the first time this year, artists performed at the Tiny Desk at NPR's headquarters.

Suraya Mohamed | April 1, 2024
Thandiswa Mazwai is one of post-apartheid South Africa's most influential musicians. For nearly 30 years she has championed a kind of dance music called Kwaito. The South African genre mixes a variety of rhythms and influences including hip-hop, reggae, jazz and house music.

This phenomenal set starts with “Nizalwa Ngobani?”, translated from the Xhosa language for “Do you know where you come from?” It’s dedicated to the ever-resilient people of South Africa. “I want to say to my people at home, thank you,” she says. “I am known worldwide because of you.” After, she sings a love song, “Ingoma” with the memorable hook “Ngoma we, ngoma we, ngoma we,” which loosely translates to “You are a song that I never get tired of.”

She dedicates the next song, “Children of the Soil,” to all the people around the world who find themselves struggling for freedom. “This is our time to use our voices,” she affirms. “This is the time for us to fight for freedom, wherever it is in the world.” “Children of the Soil” will be featured on her soon-to-be-released new album, Sankofa. And she finishes this set with the powerful “Abenguni,” and the catchy upbeat tune “Lahl’umlenze,” with its resilient hook: “Why does it matter how I dance?”

SET LIST
“Nizalwa Ngobani?”
“Ingoma”
“Children of the Soil”
“Abenguni”
“Lahl’umlenze”

MUSICIANS
Thandiswa Mazwai: lead vocals
Lungile (Lulu) Maduna: drums, vocals
Sunnyboy Mthimunye: guitar
Tendai Ali Shoko (Shox): bass
Thabang Tabane: percussion
Xolani Thabethe: keys, vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Kara Frame
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Elizabeth Gillis
Audio Engineer: Becky Brown
Production Assistant: Elle Mannion
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
globalFEST Team: Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, Shanta Thake, Zion Jackson, Ian Thake
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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