A reflection on two decades

Simphiwe Dana talks about her long career, her legacy and the spirit guiding what could be her final album

- Lesego Chepape

I have experienced Simphiwe Dana's compelling presence on stage many times. Not to say that was her entire personality — no, Dana is much more.

But there are only a few people we meet in life, from close or from a distance, and can instantly tell — they do not walk alone.

Their spirit is that of our forefathers. It carries weight and respect. It announces itself quietly, with humility, yet with a magnitude impossible to ignore.

Now imagine having those thoughts first thing on a Monday morning. My nerves were jittering so intensely, I forgot to have breakfast. It's not every day that one gets to speak to a voice that has held us through joy, through protest, through heartbreak and healing.

At 10am sharp, as agreed with her PR person, I dialled her number. No answer. I stared at the phone. What now? Before I could decide my next move, the phone rang. Dana.

"I am so sorry I missed your call; I was just making breakfast," she said, her voice as textured and calm as I had remembered it from countless interviews and performances.

"Do you want a few minutes to eat? I also haven't had breakfast yet," I offered.

"Perfect," she responded. "Go make food and a cup of tea or coffee and I will call you back in a few," she said.

I had to pause. Am I about to have a telephonic breakfast with Simphiwe Dana? Surely, I have lived a full life.

She called me back in 10 minutes. Coffee on her end. Rooibos on mine. What followed was an encounter with a soul who has been documenting the collective inner life of a nation for over two decades.

Dana's debut album Zandisile, released in 2004, earned her instant acclaim and multiple South African Music Awards (Samas).

I was so young but I still remember how Ndiredi played on every radio station and on every music show on TV like an anthem. It was a moment — a feeling. Maybe I didn't understand it fully then but I felt it. We all did.