Women band together with Jazz

A GROUP of young women can be found making music together in Glenwood once a week as part of the Womuzo project.  It is open to women with an interest in performing jazz and contemporary music.

Ukusa Arts Programne Project Manager is Debbie Mari, who is also a lecturer in the Jazz Studies programme in the School of Arts at University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Mari started the mentorship project to create more opportunities for young, female instrumentalists to grow their skills.

“KZN is blessed with many female vocalists but I saw that there weren’t many opportunities for women instrumentalists outside of the western classical music domain where it is more common to see women of all ages playing a range of instruments.

“This is not always the case in jazz and contemporary music – in these genres we see mostly women upfront as singers. Womuzo provides an opportunity for young instrumentalists to be mentored by leading Durban-based women musicians. Currently, the group is mentored by Lu Dlamini, and prior to Lu, Nosihe Zulu was the mentor” explained Mari.

The project offers a platform for young women to fill a space where female faces are seen at the forefront.

“Watching these young women develop their skills and confidence is so inspiring as a mentor and performing musician myself. We’re not excluding men in our project, we’re just prioritizing women.

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“There aren’t many women instrumentalists in Durban who play contemporary music, far fewer female band leaders and women instrumentalists are generally underrepresented in artist lineups in festivals and we want to see this change,” said Mari.

Music to their ears

Among the youngsters taking part in Womuzo is Thando Cele a young vocalist and bass player.

“I joined Womuzo earlier this year, in April. I’m a better player than I was when the project started and now people not only know me as a vocalist but as a bassist too. I’ve been wanting to be part of all women’s band and we don’t normally get to see many young female instrumentalists & this is woman-empowering,” she said.

Another member, Shraddha Buddan, is currently enrolled as a music student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She joined Womuzo in September 2022.

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“Since then, I’ve seen nothing but growth in both my playing and confidence,” said Buddan who plays guitar.
“Womuzo offers a space for its members to feel their own strength and to tell their stories. For me, that in itself is a powerful thing,” she added.

The Ukusa Arts Programme is supported by the Mzansi Philharmonic Orchestra and eThekwini Municipality through the Grant In Aid programme. For more information on Womuzo contact Debbie Mari 084 614 3353 / ukusadurban@gmail.com.

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