Commonwealth Connections - South Africa

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Every Sunday morning, townships across South Africa vibrate to the sound and colour of traditional gospel services. The Holy Ethiopian Catholic Church of Zion gather in Soweto to sing songs which blend ancient Zulu melodies and free-flowing phrases with missionary-style harmonies which they say bring them closer to God. A very different kind of township style is found in the music of Madosini, a mouth-bow player and singer living in Cape Town. Now 92 years old, and still performing professionally, she sings stories of life in pre-apartheid rural South Africa, with dramatic overtone-singing and expressive mouth-bow effects.

Published on Saturday, 15th February 2014.

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