Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Percy Mabandu is an art historian and freelance writer based in The city of Tshwane.
The iconic music of Abdullah Ibrahim’s Mannenberg, recorded in 1974, celebrated contemporary South African reality as well as capturing it for all time.
An effervescent jazz dancer, Harry Msimango died in his sleep last winter. He didn’t become famous for his dancing, he simply stepped into the hearts of all who’d ever seen him move.
As politicians shake off the election season trauma of being stranded on the Metrorail, Percy Mabandu considers the train as a force that shaped South African music over the decades.
When his bursary fell through, Tendayi Sithole found a home among train vendors who opened a way for him to save for university. It led to him becoming an associate professor of African politics.