Africa’s legendary pop-duo Mafikizolo presents The Mafikizolo iDwala Live Experience for the first time ever at the 2023 Bassline Live at The Lyric Theatre series in Gold Reef City on Saturday, 26 August. With the duo having just been awarded the Metro FM Lifetime Achievement Award, and their iDwala album already reaching platinum status, this is the perfect moment to celebrate and share in their success story.
It has been 25 years since Mafikizolo burst on the local music scene. A quarter of a century later, the Afro-pop band still oozes energy, going strong, filling up venues, performing all over the world and winning legions of new fans. Their story is a masterclass in relevance, longevity and grace.
In August 2022, the duo Nhlanhla Mafu and Theo Kgosinkwe, released their 12th album iDwala, a tribute to their staying power. iDwala means a boulder and a rock of ages. It speaks to how they have been a dependable voice in the industry, worth emulating and an inspiration to younger generations of music makers.
“We have not had an intimate live session with our fans and supporters in a very long time and this makes it super exciting for us,” says Nhlanhla. “Also, we have not had a chance to properly introduce and present the album to our fans so this performance will give us an opportunity to showcase the album itself.
“So we want our supporters to come open-minded and ready to be serenaded with new songs and sounds from the iDwala album. We will of course perform their favourite Mafikizolo classics as we will be taking them through the Mafikizolo journey. We, therefore, encourage them to come dressed in their favourite Mafikizolo era as we not only celebrate the album but the milestone as well.”
Adds Theo, “What’s going to be great about the iDwala Live Experience is that we are going to take the audience through our musical journey. We want the audience to enjoy the music that they grew up listening to, we want them to enjoy the music, fashion and dance experience of Mafikizolo. We encourage them to dress up in their Kwela attires to add the element of fashion to this experience. We will also be joined by friends of Mafikizolo on stage to celebrate The Mafikizolo iDwala Live Experience.”
Looking back over the years, Nhlanhla says it’s all grace. “We thank God constantly, we don’t take the many years we have behind us for granted.”
Theo agrees: “That is why we titled this album iDwala, because we have stood the test of time. We have been through it all, wins, losses, struggles, fails, successes… through the storm and back, and Mafikizolo is still here.”
Tickets for The Mafikizolo iDwala Live Experience are available at Computicket from R350.00.
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