SA: Tumi Mogorosi to perform at We Still Insist film premiere

The live performance will offer a new interpretation of the late American jazz legend Max Roach’s album We Insist! released in 1961. It will be accompanied by an audio-visual installation by Chiurai. The avant-garde We Insist! was considered highly controversial for its support of the civil rights movement and was banned in some countries. In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the US National Recording Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

The music ensemble joining Mogorosi for the Constitution Hill event will comprise Gabi Motuba (vocals), Dalisu Ndlazi (bass), Malcolm Jiyane (trombone), Ndabo Zulu (trumpet), Ofenste Sebula (tenor sax), Gontse Makhene (percussion) and DJ Kenzhero.

Chiurai is an acclaimed multidisciplinary artist who uses various art forms such as painting, drawing, photography, performance and video to examine some of the most pressing issues emerging in a postcolonial society. His attention-arresting work has reached many audiences around the globe. Chiurai is also behind The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember at 44 Stanley in Johannesburg.

Mogorosi, meanwhile, leans towards using radical ethnic traditions as a blueprint for achieving black liberation and engagement. The performance follows the release of his album Group Theory: Black Music in July. The album was named The Guardian’s Global Album of the Month a month earlier. It features artists such as Louis Moholo-Moholo, Makaya Ntshoko, Ayanda Sikade and more.

The 22 September event will start at 7pm. Purchase tickets here.