TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTALIST
Saving Xhosa memories through melodies
If the goddess of Xhosa music, Latozi Mpahleni, didn’t exist, it would be impossible for a character like her to be created as a work of fiction. No author could dream up someone who embodies such truth and candour. Whether on or off the stage, Madosini — as she is known — carries her authenticity like the skin on her body. Even describing her as an artist would be equivalent to bundling her up with a bunch of people on the brink of losing their minds. Madosini comes without the high levels of self-consciousness normally associated with that squad. "Many years ago, the late musician Victor Ntoni came to the village with some white people. They invited anyone and everyone who had a skill to showcase. I played for them, and that was my first time playing for people from outside the village," Madosini says. Through mastering traditional Xhosa instruments uhadi (bow), umrhubhe (mouth bow) and isitolotolo (jaw harp), she has secured her place in history. She is the master of instruments ...
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