Billy Monama to stage SA freedom songs concert in September

Monama will be joined by local artists Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, Judith Sepuma and Titi Luzipo. The concert will aim to bring fans closer to their past and help them reimagine their future during Heritage Month. It will present a musical journey and conversation between two generations of artists and serve as a reminder about what makes South African music resonate with Africans and the rest of the world. Monama says the concert is aimed to be a “revisioning of heritage music for modern ears.”

The two-part concert will pay tribute to two generations of exiled composers and musicians. The first part will consist of choral freedom songs from ANC exiles in Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika. In the second segment, led by The Grazroots Project Orkestra and directed by Monama, Letta Mbulu, Miriam Makeba, Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekela will be honoured as anti-apartheid freedom fighters and towering figures in local and international music.

“This is a journey created to heal through song and reawaken consciousness as we revisit South African classics that celebrate past South African composers and musicians,” Monama said.

Monama is a sought-after guitarist who has worked with artists like Themba Mkhize, Abdullah Ibrahim, Andile Yenana, Sibongile Khumalo, Victor Ntoni, Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, Mbongeni Ngema, Dorothy Masuka and Abigail Kubeka, among others. In 2020, he launched a video series about the history and evolution of South African guitar playing.

Tickets to the 9 September concert can be purchased here.