LIMPOPO SECRETS: Thabiso Sekhula celebrates the great talent that is bursting out of her no longer sleepy home province
Representation! It is truly a wonderful thing. In the second Limpopo Secrets column, I spoke about how difficult it was when I was growing up to be proud of being from Limpopo.
One of the big contributors was that I had never seen people like me who spoke my language on national TV being proud of who they were or being celebrated outside of Limpopo.
In 2022, it’s completely different. There’s been a flood of Limpopo excellence and representation on TV, radio, even on the world’s biggest stages.
You can link the efforts of superstars King Monada, Makhadzi and Shudufadzo Musida to the booming arts and development in Limpopo.
I spent New Year’s Eve 2019 in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and at midnight, King Monada’s hit song of the time ‘Idibala’ played to a loud roar of cheers and celebration.
As young as they are, these breakout superstars have inspired a new generation of Limpopo excellence.
A generation which is fearless and ready to show the world what the great north has in store. A generation which feels nothing but pride in their roots.
I am starting the list with Sho Madjozi to illustrate how the new and old can coexist. Sho is a new age popular rapper with a global stage who not only sings in her native XiTsonga but also brought a Tsonga music legend Thomas Chauke out of retirement for a song feature. A song which is celebrated by the young and old because it combines the best of both these worlds.
Then there’s Matalane Mokgatla, an award-winning Sepedi praise poet from Sekhukhune who wrote a book about Sepedi culture and ancient customs. As young as he is, Matalane realised that the Sepedi language is at risk of extinction with the mass migration of Limpopo youth to other provinces and made it his mission to do his part in preserving the knowledge that was once our way of life.
Even in broadcasting, Limpopo is producing young legends. If you listen to Capricorn FM, Power FM’s sister station in Limpopo, you are likely to hear the bold voice of Hlekani Shikwambani. The 31-year-old started her radio career over 10 years ago and her experience and ability to entertain on one of the station’s biggest slots has earned her the title of Limpopo’s Radio Queen.
And hot off the stilletos of the former Miss SA Shufufadzo Musida’s success with the converted title, Limpopo has once again landed a queen in the running for the Miss SA title. 23-year-old Ndavi Nokeri made quite the entrance to the top 30 of the pageant with her inspiring video
Ndavi has a few titles under her belt including Miss Jozi 2019 and playing netball at a national level for the province. She has a BCom Investment Management degree from the University of Pretoria and could be 2022’s reigning Miss South Africa.
The possibilities are endless and so is the inspiration each and every one of Limpopo’s children have to influence the next generation and even more exciting, to inspire this very generation.
