Liberation Radio
LISTEN: SONGS FOR WINNIE BY A SEMBLANCE
CHIMURENGA LIBRARY
Banished to Brandfort in 1977, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela noted that this act, carried out by the apartheid authorities, was intended “to bury me forever.” However, it was her presence that ultimately repositioned the small rural town in the Free State as a centre for black radicalism.
Lat year we published an edition titled “Brandfort: Liberation Capital (1977-86)”, an oral history of the town in the time of Winnie Mandela, through interviews with townspeople, collaborators and companions, re-examining her operation of a clinic, crèche and library in the context of the Black Consciousness Movement’s community programmes; the network of collaboration that facilitated her political work from the Free State and its impact on the broader liberation struggle; the modes of communication and speech-acts she used during her banishment, and more.
And to welcome this publication we invited A semblance, Asher Gamedze’s free-funk collective, to arrange an hour-long suite inspired by the immense body musical and literary work that honoured Winnie’s years in Brandfort, including Sathima Benjamin’s “Winnie Mandela, Beloved Heroine”, Gwendolyn Brooks’s epic poem “Song for Winnie”, Milton Nascimento’s “Lágrimas Do Sul (para Winnie Mandela)”, June Jordan’s “Every Night, Winnie Mandela”, and many more.
The A semblance ensemble performed the piece at the Chimurenga Factory on 24 April 2025.
We listen to the recording of this performance from 7pm tonight. Live on PASS, tune in!
Thursday, 14 May 2026 from 7pm
Live on the Pan African Space Station
Category: Articles, Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog, Pass Replay
Tags: A Semblance, Asher Gamedze, winnie madikizela-mandela
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LISTEN: “MORE MORE MORE… FUTURE” BY FAUSTIN LINYEKULA AND STUDIO KABAKO
Category: Articles, Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog, Pass Radio
Tags: Faustin Linyekula, Studio Kabako
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MSAFIRI KAFIRI – a conversation and listening Session on the roots and routes of Tanzanian hip hop with Seth Markle
1 August 2024 at the Chimurenga Factory, we hosted Pan African scholar and educator, Seth Markle. In session, Markle will takes us through the underground hip-hop scene of Tanzania, tracing the movement through a key selection of music, interviews and insights from his current project with on-the-ground artists-activists for whom hip-hop has long been a form of survival, expression, and cultural way of being.
Category: Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog, Pass Radio
Tags: Bi Kidude, hip hop, James Wamba, Julius Nyerere, Juma Nature, KBC, Kikosi cha Mzinga, King Kiki, Kwanza Unit, Langa Kileo, Mejah Mbuya, Seif, Seth Markle, Sista Carrolla, Squeeza, taarab, Tanzania, Ujamaa, Wamaba dia Wamba, zeze
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SANKOFA – a conversation and listening session with KING THA
We were honoured to host royalty at the Chimurenga Factory on 22 July 2024 – our revered King Tha, the earth-acclaimed singer-songwrioter and bandleader Thandiswa Mazwai joined us for groundings pon her new LP and our long march back to total liberation. King Tha was in conversation with our sister-comrade-poet-theorist Uhuru Phalafala. Listen to the session here: We retreat forward, always.
LIBERATION RADIO: BOKANI DYER’S RADIO SECHABA
As part of our ongoing study of the cultural work of liberation movements in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism, we’re proud to present a rare Cape Town performance of Bokani Dyer’s Radio Sechaba. Pianist Bokani Dyer is an inheritor of the spirit of the music unit of the liberationist, Gaborone-based Medu Arts Ensemble – famously led during the 1980s by Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekala, and featuring Bokani’s father, the saxophonist Steve Dyer. Radio Sechaba continues the search for …
Category: Liberation Radio, Live Events, News, Pass Blog
Tags: Bokani Dyer, Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Medu Arts Ensemble, Radio Sechaba
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Chimurenga presents SOCIAL BREATH
In commemoration of the fighting spirit of 16 June 76 we present a once-off performance of SOCIAL BREATH by ASHER GAMEDZE and the BLACK LUNGS, a collective featuring some of Cape Town’s finest improvisers in creative black music, including: Sean Sanby (bass), Nobuhle Ashanti (keys), Jed Petersen (tenor sax), Tumi Pheko (trumpet), Athi Ngcaba (trombone), Garth Erasmus (alto sax), Tina Mene (vocals), Ru Slayen (percussion) and Asher Gamedze (drums) Friday, 16 June 2023 from 7pm Chimurenga Factory (157 Victoria Rd, …
LIBERATION MUSIC AT THE CHIMURENGA FACTORY – OCTOBER 2022
We are proud to present two ensemble performances at the Chimurenga Factory this October – Tumi Mogorosi’s Group Theory:Black Music and Malcolm Jiyane’s Tree-O. Group Theory:Black Music is the latest contribution from drummer Tumi Mogorosi. It continues the exploration into South Africa’s longstanding chorale tradition from Mogorosi’s debut album Project Elo. Mogorosi is joined by vocalist Themba Maseko, who directs the voices of Busisiwe Phetoe, Forunate Jwara and Brenda Thulo, as well as Andile Yenana (piano), Reza Khota (guitar), Dalisu …
Category: Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog
Tags: Group Theory:Black Music, Liberation Radio, Malcolm Jiyane, Tumi Mogorosi, Umdali
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we dreamt of utopia and we woke up screaming (Listening Session #2) – live on PASS – 06 Oct 2022 from 8:30pm
[Sketch by Myriam Pruvot courtesy of archive of Yasmina Reggad] With ‘Listening Session #2’, Yasmina Reggad extends an invitation to historian, researcher and performer Saphia Arezki (Marseille, France) to dive together into her sound archive gathered during the artist’ long-term research we dreamt of utopia and we woke up screaming, that investigates the liberation movements’ broadcasts aired by the Algerian National Broadcasting Company (RTA) in the 60s and 70s. Drawing on her previous polyglot and polyphonic sonic productions that echoed …
Category: Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog, Pass Radio
Tags: Saphia Arezki, Yasmina Reggad
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LIBERATION RADIO
Liberation Radio is an ongoing query on knowledge production via African sound worlds, and long-term research on broadcasting and cultural initiatives by liberation movements across the continent. Our research focuses on the city-studios of Cairo, Accra, Conakry, Algiers, Dar es Salaam, Lusaka and more, the so-called revolutionary capitals which hosted and generated this production through their own national broadcasting infrastructure. Through this study we would to map the circulation of ideas through these places, amidst regime changes and the shifty …
Category: Liberation Radio, News, Pass Blog
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