THE UHADI GROUNDING

''My very first show in the Eastern Cape! I am Excited to meet the people of Gqeberha and I hope with my music they'll become part of the family.''

THE UHADI GROUNDING

Indigenous music is potent and is a great source of healing power. The uHadi Grounding is a safe pit stop to recharge, reflect and connect with the universe. This session recognises the turbulent emotions we are going through as young adults in South Africa. The aim of the session is to help us nourish the soul with sound vibrations of the traditional isiXhosa musical bow, uHadi, and the grounding communal singing.

¨I find myself constantly searching for healing. It seems every level of growth has a greater obstacle. As a young adult in South Africa, overcoming these obstacles can be a lonely, daunting and draining process that none of us signed up for. My intention with ‘The uHadi Grounding’ is to gather with the youth of South Africa and connect through indigenous music in an attempt to comfort each other and embrace being Xhosa.¨ ~ Odwa Bongo

GUEST ARTIST

Rhasatsha

ACCOMPANYING ARTIST

Chester Summerton

ODWA BONGO BIO

Admired for his extensive vocal range and cultural interest, Odwa Bongo is a contemporary uHadi instrumentalist and vocalist. He graduated at the South African College of Music at UCT and was awarded the Dean's Merit List Award in recognition of his consistent academic excellence in Music Performance. The Wire, powered by Celebrity Services Africa acknowledges Bongo as one of SA’s Top LGBTIQ+ creatives alongside Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu, Muneyi & Desire Marea. He won the Best Tenor Soloist Award and travelled the world with the Drakensberg Boys Choir. In 2012 he was the vocalist for the Standard Bank Schools Big Band at the Standard Bank National Arts Festival. His love for his culture scored him a national TV feature on SABC 1's Youth Culture documentary series. He also featured in a cultural documentary powered by The University of Cape Town, where he was researching an important thanks giving ceremony of the Xhosa tribe. The star is also working closely with the Cape Cultural Collective to promote inclusivity, diversity and social cohesion through Arts and Culture. Bongo´s talent has afforded him to collaborate with the likes of Dr Madosini, Camagwini, Zolani Mahola and Morena Liraba. The singer was featured on Kechou & Dumama’s buffering juju album. The album is making more waves in Europe. Recently, Bongo’s uHadi Experience (which aims to restore dignity and respect to South African Bow Music) was featured at WOMAD South Africa. uHadi Experience has also successfully graced reputable theatres in South Africa, The Artscape & The Baxter Theatre. For the first time in his career, Bongo has released his long awaited single Nomathemba which is available on all major music platforms.

RHASATSHA BIO

''My work is an ode to the IsiXhosa language as I believe in archiving our culture and relative stories to us with the most impeccable choice of words.''

Rhasatsha Wengqiqo is a recording artist, Voice over artist, performer and award winning poet born in Gqeberha but found her artistic abilities in Umtata.

Her poetry is inclined on drawing a picture in three dimensions, showing different perspectives. This wordsmith has a way with words as she produces perfectly constructed sentences encoded with crucial teachings. She is a recording artist with a single out on all digital music stores "Ukutshintsha Kwekhasi" and has works published on the Sol Plaatje 11th edition european anthology. She has been featured by various national and international artists like Ikati Esengxoweni, Kora X Tulwana and Zolani Mahola. 

CHESTER SUMMERTON BIO

Chester Summerton is a jazz pianist of Xhosa ancestry and he works towards aligning his musicianship with his native Xhosa roots. In him doing so he centers his pianist approach on a Xhosa Celebration dance called umXhentso therefore summoning the Ancestors through his artistry. Through the mentorship program under Eugene Skeef, he found himself connecting

with the spirit of legendary South African pianist Bheki Mseleku and aim to center his being as disciple of the Master. Through his work he has scholarships and has worked with young and old musicians like Ofentse Sebula, Siphokazi and Jimmy Dludlu. His latest contribution towards the heritage of South African Jazz was being part of the Johnny Mbizo Dyani: Jazz Against Apartheid Homecoming initiative, which took place on December of 2022.