Thandeka Mfinyongo

Thandeka Louisa Mfinyongo is a musician born and raised in Nyanga East, Cape Town (South Africa). Mfinyongo’s love and passion for performing arts started at a very young age while at church. In 2017, she graduated with a Performer’s Diploma in Music, and in 2018, graduated with an Advanced Diploma in African Music, both from the University of Cape Town. Mfinyongo specializes in two Xhosa instruments, uhadi (gourd/calabash bow) and umrhubhe (mouth-bow). And she recently finished her Master’s in Music Performance at SOAS University of London, with a major in kora (an instrument from West Africa). Mfinyongi is currently doing her PhD in Ethnomusicology at Rhodes University. Mfinyongo has performed on various stages including the Baxter Theatre and ArtsCape Theatre. In 2008, she joined a drama, dance, and music group called Rainbow Arts Organisation and soon after sang in the His Favour Gospel choir, which recorded an album in 2013. She has performed at the Zabalaza Festival in March 2013 (Baxter Theatre) and in a June 16th musical production at ArtsCape Theatre (as part of a collaboration of a group of young people from different communities). Mfinyongo also writes and has performed one of her poems at the Land Act 1913 Commemoration which took place at the Homecoming in District Six. In March 2014, she was involved in the International Jazz Festival Skills Development, sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture. Between 2014 and 2017, she was part of the UCT iBuyambo Ensemble, performing regularly in Cape Town during this period. Mfinyongo is one of the founding members of a musical group called Azanian Aesthetics (2016). In May 2018, Mfinyongo released her first single called Wenza Ngabom and made her debut on a local TV station show called Hectic99 where she performed the song. In August 2018, had her first solo performance at Baxter’s Masambe Theatre. In November 2018, she had the opportunity to perform with the legendary Madosini (known as “The Queen of Xhosa” instruments), as part of an event called ‘At the Feet of a Living Archive’ at Youngblood Gallery in Cape Town. In May 2019, Mfinyongo performed at the Global LBQ Conference which was held in Cape Town South Africa for the first time. She did an Eastern Cape tour with two of her friends, performing in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown. In the same year, she performed at AfroBru in Johannesburg alongside Morena Leraba a performance organized by OneShushu Day. In 2019, she worked with Zyo on a song called Brighter Day which was released on the 14th of June 2019. In June 2019, she performed at The Awakening Sessions in Kimberly, and in July, she performed at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown alongside one of South Africa’s renowned musicians Dumza Maswana. In August 2019, she performed with the lead singer of the Freshlyground, Zolani Mahola for the Take a Child to Theatre Benefit Concert at the Baxter Theatre. In October 2019, while at SOAS University of London, she took part in performing in events...