SA: Thandiswa Mazwai to conclude Africa Month with show from Constitution Hill

The Play Your Part Africa Live Stream Concert is courtesy of Brand South Africa and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in association with Constitution Hill.

Mazwai’s performance can be viewed here at 8pm.

The concert will be produced by Bassline Live and seeks to honour Africans united in the fight against COVID-19, and celebrate Africa’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

"So many historic events have happened at the Constitution Hill; this is undoubtedly one of them as the world is changed by the coronavirus,” Mazwai said. “I feel honoured to be able to share positive vibrations throughout the mama land and the world. Coronavirus has had devastating effects on people’s lives around the world. I am afraid to leave home and do something social, but we still require the same bravery today as we did before coronavirus. History is made by the brave, so as I prepare for this with my band. I’m going to wear my mask, keep a safe distance and avoid communal surfaces.”

Brand South Africa chairperson Thandi Tobias-Pokolo said the world is going through a time that requires unprecedented levels of unity and coordinated action. “This initiative provides us with the opportunity to come together, in our uniqueness, against an invisible enemy that knows no borders or nationality,” she said.

Highlighting the relevance of the government’s participation at the event, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture director-general Vusumusi Mkhize said the initiative aimed to amplify pan-Africanism during Africa Month.

“Africa Month is regarded as a platform that advances the work of the African Union institution and its programmes towards the attainment of its vision,” he said, adding that his department would continue to create and identify relief opportunities for the creative sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Constitution Hill CEO Dawn Robertson said: “In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, let us be reminded of our struggle heritage and draw on our ability to overcome even the direst of crises. The Women’s Jail once incarcerated icons and heroines of our liberation struggle such as Winnie Mandela, Albertina Sisulu, Fatima Meer and Barbara Hogan. Their leadership in the fight for women’s rights, equality and freedom were crucial in laying the foundation for our democracy and will continue to inspire women to rise for generations to come. There is no better synergy for this project than having Thandiswa Mazwai, a strong female activist of our times, perform here."