South African State Theatre Presents 15th Annual Mzansi Fela Festival

The 2022 edition of the annual Mzansi Fela Festival (MFF), taking place at The South African State theatre (SAST) from 01 to 18 December 2022, will be the 15th instalment since inception in 2007. To mark this milestone, the SAST has put together the mother of line-ups, featuring acclaimed musicians KB Motsilanyane, Zonke, Tumi Mogorosi, Mbuso Khoza, Zakhele Mabena, Pdoto & Blaklez, and comedians Thapelo King Flat Mametja, Trevor Gumbi, and Toll A$$ Mo. The art fest sees comedy returning after a dry spell in recent years, whilst dance debuts with the riveting KONTROLLER directed by Muzi Macaleni Shili and Oscar Buthelezi.

Throughout the fifteen years, the MFF became one of the premier arts festivals in the Tshwane Metropolitan and Gauteng province, if not the country at large. The festival presents the most exciting offering of local music, theatre, dance, comedy, and poetry during the festive season every year. Renowned for showcasing Mzansi's premium latent, the festival does so whilst it prepares the stage for the future generations of artists through its legacy development programme, the Mayibuye Community Outreach Programme.

With a new album loading, KB will be celebrating 20 years as a solo musician when she performs on 04 December. In 2002, she launched a solo career with the SAMA-winning album Beautiful Vibrations, featuring timeless records O A Lla, I Call It Love, and Feeling you.. This was after parting ways with the Kwaito group Crowded Crew she had joined in 1996. She then soared to share arenas with best local and International Artists including Sibongile Khumalo, Beyoncé, Prime Circle, and Brandy. Her illustrious acting career did not mean she would hang up the mic, the all-around entertainer has always been writing music, which fans can expect in a soon-to-be-released album, on the heels of the March single Morwamotho.

A no stranger to MFF's patrons, the multi-platinum selling songbird Zonke, is returning to the fest by popular demand since her 2019 sold-out performance. Her hit records Feelings, Jikizinto, and Nameless have acquired a reputation of keeping audiences on their feet in these affairs. The Afro-soul sensation heads to the 02 December meeting with recent hit singles OKO (2022) and Lady(2021), which compensate for the period between her 2018 album LOVE and the anticipated album Enigma in the offing. However, calls from her fans are mounting for the release of the 6th studio project.

The performance of the acclaimed drummer and composer Tumi Mogorosi on 03 December, will be an opportunity for him to launch the latest album Group Theory: Black Music to jazz audiences in The Capital. It is a homecoming of sorts, considering the long formative years he spent studying here. A stunning musical statement that marks Mogorosi's first project as a leader since his international debut on Jazzman Records in 2014, the project is a ten-piece band mix of jazz and opera which explores the historical and political dimension of cultural work and black music.

On the night of 09 December, the MFF has a triple bill in store. The hilarious King Flat Mametja, who has built a reputation for compiling the most diverse comedy line-ups with comedians from all walks of life, will stage the Comedy Society special headlining comedians Trevor Gumbi, Toll A$$ Mo, TT Pasha, Thenjiwe Moseley and Smowkey Nyembe in the Opera Theatre. Whilst Pretoria based rappers Pdoto and Blaklez serve hits from their new album Lost Diamonds II in the iconic Malombo Theatre, culture and heritage enthusiast Mbuso Khoza will be presenting Isandlwana Walk Launch in the Arena Theatre. Khoza's production is a history-based occasion capturing the events of the Isandlwana battle of 1879. It incites innovative cultural education and aims to invoke unity amongst different cultural spheres.

Another act accompanied by demand in this instalment, is the dance piece KONTROLLER, which was drawn from a pool of dance works that the SAST exhibited this year. Set to launch the festival on 01 December, choreographed by Teboho Moloi and Sphiwe Phiri, the work challenges the status of political control. In it, power and time are intertwined and take audiences on a controlled gestural movement of hip hop and pantsula to contemporary fusion of cultures. The MFF will wrap up with the theatre musical production 'Lifted- Let The Blind Sing,' directed by musical genius Zakhele Mabena, and performed by artists living with disability from 14 to 18 December.

Mzansi Fela Festival tickets start from R100 at Webtickets, which is available at the SAST, Pick n Pay stores, and online.

MZANSI FELA FESTIVAL LINE UP

Kontroller 01- 04 December, Tickets R100.

Zonke 02 Dec 2022 20:00, R200-R350.

Tumi Mogorosi 03 Dec 20:00, R150-180

KB Motsilanyane 04 Dec 15:00, R150-R300.

Comedy Society 09 Dec 20:00, R150-R250.

Isandlwana Walk Launch by Mbuso Khoza 09 Dec 20:00, R300.

Pdoto & Blaklez 09 December 20:00, R150.

Lifted- "Let the blind sing" 14-18 December, R150.

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