Collaborate to educate
JOBURG – Lesotho and South African artists form an epic collaboration.
Concerts SA, Lesotho-born singer and songwriter, Leomile Motsetsela along with South African composer, guitarist and product of Tembisa-based arts foundation, Zelizwe Mthembu, will tour three countries while promoting music.
This Lesotho-South African collaboration began in 2014 when Mthembu lent his skills to Motsetsela for her graduation recital and thereafter became a permanent fixture in the singer and songwriter’s band, assisting with arrangements, composing and guitar playing.
Mthembu was musically trained at the Music Academy of Gauteng and at the Moses Molelekwa Arts Foundation in Tembisa.
Motsetsela is a ground-breaking musician from Lesotho who recently released her debut album, Pula-Molomo to commercial and critical acclaim.
Passionate about the music they play together, the duo has decided to tour regionally with their six-piece live band and connect with their peers and core markets by touring universities and colleges in Lesotho, South Africa and Botswana.
Motsetsela’s music is infused with lyrics that address important issues of identity and womanhood. Her treatment of these vital and often buried aspects of African life is honest yet ultimately charged with idealism and hope.
She said, “Live music was a common feature on the entertainment bill not so long ago. Whether at the local pub in the township or as part of the weekend entertainment at the National University of Lesotho, the people listened.
“Fast forward to 2017 and a different story prevails. In Maseru, it seems to be a dying art breathing its last through festivals wide and far apart, with not much production of a new breed of instrumentalists to carry the baton into a new phase. Therefore we are very excited to be touring with our project.”
She hopes to keep the live music culture active through the multi-national shows that she will be presenting along with Mthembu.
Details: Facebook ConcertsSASetlamorago Mashilo and Sabastian Boesmi.
Edited by Beryl Knipe
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