A while ago I wrote a post about Amampondo, a great Xhosa group from a town near Cape Town, South Africa, who specialize in marimba music. Today we’re going to listen to Madosini, another South African musician interested in preserving local culture and history who once sung with Amampondo.

Known as “The Veteran” in her homeland of Mpondoland-Transkei, Madosini is an amaMpondo musician who uses the uhadi (music bow), umhrubhe (mouth bow) and isistoloto (Jewish harp) to accompany her rhythmic singing, chanting and dancing. Her performances are more theatre than straight music as she mixes them with story-telling and traditional dance.

Madosini has a dual political agenda: preserving indigenous culture and fighting for women’s rights in Africa and beyond. She has done much to awaken South Africans, particularly the Xhosa peoples (whose music I love so much in case you haven’t noticed), to their own rich musical and and cultural history. She’s also empowered a whole generation of women to assert themselves in the face of an often misogynistic society.

Musically she has a very unique sound. Today’s pick is particularly cool in my opinion because of its dub feel - hypnotic. You can buy the album for download here if you’re into it.

Madosini - Nozimanga (Uthando Luphelile Dub)