5 MINUTES WITH THANDEKA MFINYONGO

Indigenous instrumentalist Thandeka Mfinyongo started experimenting with music as a child in church. That passion became a purpose when she enrolled at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and majored in African Music.

-  SINDEKA MANDOYI

This is where she first encountered the two instruments that played a pivotal role in her music career: the Umrhube and Uhadi musical bows. She completed her master's degree at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London, majoring in Kora - an instrument popular in West Africa - and she is now working on her doctorate in Ethnomusicology at Rhodes University. Her signature green look has become synonymous with her stage presence, and her music is an ode to those prepared to preserve African instruments and take them onto global stages.