Taking back the Soweto night

A winter night walk through the township with Rapsody and Nomsa Mazwai reveals the power of protest, purpose and collective joy

- Kibo Ngowi

This past Friday I walked for nearly 3km through the streets of Jabavu in Soweto from 8pm to 10pm on a winter night in July. That might sound crazy, but it was actually a lot of fun.

I was part of a group of 100 people and along the way we chanted and sang with Karabo Ya Morena, a youth choir from Soweto that were part of our parade. At the front of the crowd, leading us through the streets and keeping the energy up, was Nomsa Mazwai, the originator of Soweto Night Out. At every stop she would yell out “Funk it, I’m walking!” and the crowd would yell back “Let’s walk to freedom!”

What were we thinking, you might ask? Well, partly it was a unique way to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day. But it was also a chance to meet American Grammy award-winning musician and respected emcee Rapsody, who was in the country working on her next album and who joined in on every step of the way.

For most of us, the journey started in Rosebank, where we boarded a bus courtesy of the organisers, which was really appreciated because it muted any worries about transport from Soweto back to town, especially after a long night out.

We arrived at Soweto Theatre where we gathered on the front steps and enjoyed a welcome performance by the youth choir while people clamoured to get their photo opportunities with our illustrious American guest — including yours truly, because there’s nothing wrong with pausing work mode to have a fan moment.

After that we started our walk, accompanied by members of the community policing forum, walking up and down the Jabavu streets with white banners with “Soweto Night Out Tours” written on them at the back and front of the procession.