Simphiwe Dana to play at South African State Theatre

The event, titled An Exploration into Isipaji Sika Simphiwe Dana, forms part of SAST’s celebration programme for Africa Month. Dana will use the event to explore the various textures of her work to date; an intuitive, multi-layered effort from a mature artist at the top of her creative powers.

“Being consistent with anything for 18 years is a celebration and the success is a celebration, too,” Dana said. “The creation of Isipaji sika Simphiwe Dana comes at the tail-end of a whole tumultuous era in my life, but it’s still a nice thing to point at as something to celebrate. Fulfilment is not the right word, but it’s the best word I can think of right now. I feel this really grounded sense of accomplishment."

This follows the musician’s previous show MOYA which premiered to a sold-out season in Johannesburg on 10 April.

SAST artistic director Aubrey Sekhabi said: “Simphiwe is one of our best in the continent. After seeing MOYA a month ago, I knew we had to have her at the SAST. Even better to have her during Africa Month, where we as African people need to come together and engage and try to heal through song and good music. We always look forward to hosting her here.”

Dana added: “I knew I was something different for the industry, I knew I looked different. I sounded different and the songs I wanted to sing were different. I thought I was telling people, ‘Make way, something different is coming,’ but in hindsight, I was telling all of our stories about what it means to affirm yourself because the world will always tell you that you’re supposed to be something different.”

Credited for creating some of the most thought-provoking songs of her generation, Dana continues to uphold the standard for singer and songwriters as a messenger for love, hope, compassionate humanitarianism and socio-political awareness She plans to showcase songs from all her albums in her upcoming performance, sharing their compelling narratives as she continues to expand the canvas of her spiritual and lifestyle mission that has made her one of the most in-demand performers and speakers in the social space.

Tickets to Simphiwe Dana’s performance can be purchased here.