Thandeka Mfinyongo
Thandeka Mfinyongo
Short Bio
Thandeka Mfinyongo is a musician born and raised in Nyanga East, Cape Town (South Africa). Mfinyongo's love and passion for performing arts started at a very young age at church. In 2017, she graduated with a Performer's Diploma in Music; in 2018, she graduated with an Advanced Diploma in African Music from the University of Cape Town. Mfinyongo specialises in two Xhosa instruments, uhadi (gourd/calabash bow) and umrhubhe (mouth-bow). In 2020, she graduated with her Master's in Music Performance at SOAS University of London, majoring in kora (an instrument from West Africa). Mfinyongo is doing her PhD in Ethnomusicology at Rhodes University.
Mfinyongo's musical contributions extend beyond performance; she has collaborated with renowned artists such as the late Dr Madosini and Dumza Maswana. Her dedication and talent have earned her recognition and awards like the Rhodes University Top 100 Award for Arts, Media, Culture & Society. And opportunities to perform at prestigious events like the Joy of Jazz, the National Arts Festival, the Folklore Festival, the Oluzayo Festival, Resonance presented by NewMusicSA, and the South African Strings Foundation.
Mfinyongo has a tremendous presence on stage and is an experienced vocalist, uhadi, and umrhubhe player. Mfinyongo is inspired by an older generation of musicians, such as Madosini, whom she spent time with learning and deepening her knowledge.
Continuing to soar in her career, Mfinyongo remains one of the prominent figures in the South African music scene, captivating audiences with her soulful performances and commitment to preserving African musical traditions.
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Project Description
Ingoduko is a homecoming, an appreciation of African music, where it began, and a nostalgia of home encapsulated in song. It is a musical performance celebrating our culture and giving a voice to the Xhosa indigenous instruments, uhadi (gourd bow) and umrhubhe (mouth bow). The idea is to find ways of preserving and teaching indigenous music to young people and anyone interested. Through this production, I encourage and inspire people to return home to themselves and promote healing through music and song. It is a nostalgic process, as the two bows I play have greatly influenced my journey as a performer. Additionally, I aim to create a platform for the participation, performance, and consumption of indigenous music. Ingoduko seeks to afford people access to information and skills cantered around singing and playing indigenous instruments. Furthermore, it aims to document and archive the music for future generations and inspire holistic documentation of the indigenous music of different cultures. Indigenous music has been relegated to the back banner of the entertainment arts due to its lack of popularity with the youth demographic and its limited media presence. By popularising this music form, the project strives to cultivate music practitioners and artists who can propagate its merit. Collaborating with older, more established Indigenous music artists provides an element of intergenerational exchange, much in line with our values as Africans in paying reverence to older people. The project ensures skills transfer and innovative archival processes to preserve this music for future generations.