UKZN’s Centre for Jazz Celebrates Women’s Day

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UKZN’s Centre for Jazz and Popular Music recently hosted up and coming Pietermaritzburg-based jazz vocalist Thobeka Langa, who gave a stellar performance against the backdrop of National Women’s Day.

‘Women’s month to me means celebrating the full meaning of being a woman in a profound and powerful way,’ said Langa.  

‘It is an opportunity to celebrate the struggles and achievements of women. With the music that I played at UKZN, I celebrated the lives of our legends, the likes of Miriam Makeba and all those who fought for our voices to be heard. 

‘My performance portrayed the music of the younger generation of women together with original compositions speaking about love as perceived by women,’ said Langa. 

She developed her love for music at a very young age, singing at grass roots level with a community gospel group in Pietermaritzburg called Change. She later enrolled to study Performing Arts at the Mbongeni Ngema Academy. After completing her Matric, she pursued her music studies at UKZN. 

Langa completed her BPrac MUS degree, earning a merit in performance. In her final year of study, she was a part of a group of students selected to represent the University and the School of Arts at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in the United States for an ongoing Music Exchange Programme. 

Her other achievements include being offered a scholarship to study towards her Master’s degree at the North Carolina Central University in the United States.  

Melissa Mungroo