Mbali Mbatha
SA’s deep admiration for Asanda Lusaseni, better known as Msaki, was unmistakable at the National Arts Festival (NAF) in Makhanda, where barely an empty seat could be found during the one-night-only performance of Msaki and the ALTBLK Pan African Collective.
Known for drawing devoted audiences, the singer-songwriter once again commanded a full house — even as she took to the stage with characteristic humility, expressing surprise at the overwhelming turnout.
May we also remember that we’ve been failed by our own people. We’ve got different ancient ways that we can draw from. And all we’re saying tonight is peace first, no blood, peace first.
— Msaki
But this was no ordinary concert.
Framed as a celebration rather than a performance, the evening unfolded as a powerful tribute to African interconnectedness, a theme that lies at the heart of Msaki’s creative vision.
Msaki’s brainchild, ALTBLK, is an artist development and mentorship movement with residencies in Brazil, Europe and other parts of the world.
As a collective, Msaki and ALTBLK embody this interconnectedness through the marriage of percussive traditional sounds and contemporary instruments.
On the digital screen behind them is what appears to be a rehearsal session rooted more in familial ties than it is in labour.
Vocalist Zintle Mbuyazwe takes the lead in the nostalgic “Emandulo”, walking the audience back to a time when Ubuntu was still intact.
She breaks into dance, inducing a trance-like state of ululation and a rhythmic clapping of hands in the auditorium. Mbuyazwe, too, is loved by the masses.
Zambian artist Chipego translates the lyrics to the song, revealing that the word for “we will see each other” in her language is almost identical to the isiZulu and isiXhosa word “sizobonana”.
This adds another layer to the African connectedness introduced by Msaki earlier.
This also echoes the sentiment of the panellists at last week’s media briefing, where they declared the NAF not just a national festival but an international phenomenon.
This “celebration” epitomises music as a universal language because the ensemble featured artists from various countries, but at no point did the audience become unresponsive or show any signs of rejecting the performances.
Ever the humanitarian, Msaki shared a message and the video of a song by Sudanese artist Mohamed Adam, whose family was displaced due to the war, forcing them into exile in Nairobi.
She boldly does this at a time when SA is marred by anti-immigration protests.
“Art is a very important instrument for speaking together and sharing different identities.
“Music, as you know, continues to guide us in a way that politics, borders and distance often cannot. It reminds us of our shared humility and our ability to listen and learn from the future,” says Adam.
Not only does the 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist (SBYA) Award for Music winner sing along to the video, but she surprises her fans with some insane dance moves, prompting chants of “Hayi Msaki... Msaki hayi” as the people reciprocate the love she is serving on stage.
“May we also remember that we’ve been failed by our own people. We’ve got different ancient ways that we can draw from. And all we’re saying tonight is peace first, no blood, peace first,” she said.
Assembling artists from various African countries on a South African stage while the geo-political state of affairs is in a tumultuous place communicates a clear message of ubuntu.
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