Songs of the struggle and music steeped in South Africa’s
apartheid past. The story of how the Soweto Gospel Choir&nbsp; captivated the world



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Three Grammys in 12 years. And more global awards in their
17 years of existence.



In February this year, at the 61st annual Grammy awards in
Los Angeles, South Africa’s child and Africa’s pride, the Soweto Gospel Choir
(SGC) walked up to the stage to a rousing ovation.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



They had won the Best World Music Album for Freedom. More than an album dedicated to Nelson Mandela, that word stood for triumph, it stood for the freedom where it all started – Soweto.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="691" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg-1024x691.jpg" alt="" data-id="40965" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40965" class="wp-image-40965" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg-600x405.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Symphonic-Soweto-2nd-2.jpg.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Soweto Gospel Choir through the years. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="702" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg-1024x702.jpg" alt="" data-id="40966" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40966" class="wp-image-40966" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg-1024x702.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg-300x206.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg-600x411.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg-768x526.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03-Madiba-Soweto-Gospel-Choir-Mar-2008CRuphin-Coudyzer-FPPSA.jpg.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir with Nelson Mandela. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



Since its inception, the gospel choir, hailing from South
Africa’s biggest township, Soweto (short for South West Townships), has been on
more international stages than they can keep count of.&nbsp; 



Its founders, Australian promoter Beverly Bryer and the late
David Mulovhedzi, created something so monumental that the world had to sit up
and listen. Bryer was born in South Africa, and lived and worked in the
Australian music scene for a few years before moving back to South Africa in
1995. 



During her stint in Australia, she connected with a number
of music promoters who took talent from all over the world to Down Under. 



Her love was always music but pop and rock rather than
African gospel.



In 2001, Bryer received a call from one of the promoters she had met in Australia asking if there were any interesting South African artists he could showcase in Australia. She suggested Umoja, a South African theater production. Bryer knew the producer and the production was a huge global success.



After watching the cast on stage, the promoter was blown
away and backed the production all the way to Australia. 



In 2002, Bryer received another call saying the gospel aspect of Umoja was extremely popular and everyone loved it. 



“I was asked to form a choir with Mulovhedzi and we had
about three months to form&nbsp; one because
they didn’t want an existing choir but a new one. I asked Mulovhedzi to bring
his choir director expertise and I learned very quickly about gospel music,”
she recalls.



That was the birth of the Soweto Gospel Choir.



“The name was a very important decision and it came quite
naturally because most of the members were from Soweto, so that was giving the
artists their location. 



“We thought a lot of the languages the choir is going to be
singing in, people around the world were not going to know or understand, but
the only thing they knew was Soweto, Nelson Mandela and the struggle. So, we
marked it with something that people knew, the name,” Bryer says. 



Through word-of-mouth, within the three months given to them, they had auditions, and went into studio and recorded their first album, Voices From Heaven, which shot up to number one on the Billboards World Music Chart within three weeks of release in 2002. Three months after that, the choir went on to tour Australia.



The six-week tour sold out and the milestones have not
stopped since. 



Bryer recalls promoters coming out for a show and one saying to the choir that they had something special.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We said to her that ‘we don’t know how it’s going to go, so if you want to take a chance with us, sure. If it doesn’t work, everyone goes home’.”&nbsp; </blockquote>



Bryer was advised the Edinburgh International Festival was
where musicians cut their teeth and that was where promoters from around the
world looked for talent.&nbsp; 



There were thousands of acts and the SGC were ultimately
among the most popular at the festival, and that’s when other international promoters
wanted to work with them. 



Edinburgh got the ball rolling. 



At the end of 2003, the choir was presented with a big local
event in the form of the first 46664 concert; an AIDS benefit concert in honor
of the late South Africa president Nelson Mandela. 



That concert still gives Mandlenkosi Modawu the jitters when
he thinks of its scale and magnitude. One of the older members in the choir,
Modawu is the bass singer and drummer from Witbank, Mpumalanga, but moved to
Mofolo, Soweto, shortly after joining the choir. He has been with the choir for
over 15 years now. 



“The drummer prior to me was troublesome, so it was easier
for me to get into the choir after my auditions; fortunately, I am also a
singer and that was a bonus for me,” he says. 



He speaks of the Edinburgh International Festival as though the performance was yesterday and keeps reiterating that among the 2,000 acts, they were the best. 



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In the ocean of experiences, Modawu has moments he will
always treasure.



“I think our break came after Scotland (Edinburgh
International Festival), and when I think about the 46664 concert in 2003, I
get shivers even today, mainly because we were considered one of the smallest
acts in that concert but we ended up backing a whole lot of artists like Aretha
Franklin, Stevie Wonder, U2 and other big names,” he says. 



In 2007, SGC won their first Grammy. 



South African gospel was recognized globally and their
mantel was filling up. 



“The second Grammy came as a surprise, I think it’s because
of the collaborations we did with big name artists around the world. They got
us recognized in the global music fraternity.



“While working on the album that got us our third Grammy, we
drew from the experiences we had from the struggle, stories told by our parents
during apartheid and those songs really touched the world because of the
emotions, and it moved people,” Modawu says. 



Sadly, Mulovhedzi could not share the excitement of their
third Grammy. 



“His passing was devastating because he was our founding
father. It shocked us, but we had to accept and keep the legacy. One of his
sons is the choir manager now,” says Modawu. 



“The first Grammy just came out of nowhere. It started with
someone contacting us and asking what we think of this idea, we carried the
idea and, sadly, in 2009, he (Mulovhedzi) passed.”



&nbsp;And now 17 years
later, they are the most successful choir in the world.



“I have watched my children grow up for 17 years, from the
start, especially those coming from disadvantaged communities, very few had
ever been on a plane. 



“We had tried getting people who had never sung professionally before and we never thought they would be on stage with Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder or John Legend and through the years, artists wanted to collaborate with the choir. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="698" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003-1024x698.jpg" alt="" data-id="40968" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40968" class="wp-image-40968" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003-600x409.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/gospelchoirAP20070212ASP003.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir win their first Grammy. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="620" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Celine.png.png" alt="" data-id="40974" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40974" class="wp-image-40974" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Celine.png.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Celine.png-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Celine.png-600x401.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Celine.png-768x513.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption> Celine Dion and Beverly Bryer from the Soweto Gospel Choir. Picture: Supplied </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



“So, for them, it would be coming from Soweto and now on the
stage in New York City with Aretha Franklin or recording with Peter Gabriel or
doing shows with Johnny Clegg. To this day, it is an unreality for all of us.”



Bryers still remembers Mulovhedzi as the most important man
she had ever met in her dealings. 



“He was absolutely super-special,” she says, and that he was
the kindest gentleman with an absolute love for music and a great knowledge of
gospel. 



He helped her with the knowledge of gospel and working with
him was the most enriching experience, she adds. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="600" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/latest-granny.jpeg" alt="" data-id="40969" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40969" class="wp-image-40969" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/latest-granny.jpeg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/latest-granny-300x188.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/latest-granny-600x375.jpeg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/latest-granny-768x480.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>Soweto Gospel Choir win a third Grammy, the album called Freedom. It was recorded for that tour, which was called Songs of the Free to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s centenary. Picture: Supplied</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



“Regarding our latest Grammy, the album called Freedom was recorded in 2018. One group toured Europe and the other one did America. It was recorded for that tour, which was called Songs of the Free to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s centenary. So, it was concentrating on freedom songs, and songs that come from the struggle, with a little bit of gospel in between… 



“It was special because it’s an album that included their
(choir members’) history; it was an extra special feel for them.”&nbsp; 



Bryer recalls previous accolades with fondness.&nbsp; 



“The first Grammy had more attention because it came out of
nowhere. I remember in 2007 looking at my email that we were nominated for a
Grammy. It was special and we were there with David [Mulovhedzi]. 



“The second one was like, ‘been there, done that’.&nbsp; The third one is as important as the first
because of the history, it’s more personal and dedicated to Madiba, and it also
shows that even after 17 years, the Soweto Gospel Choir is on top of the music
game.”



At the beginning of their journey in 2002, the choir started
with 24 members, but because of&nbsp;
international travel, they had to form a second choir about 18 months
later to stay and perform locally.



Last year, the choir formed a third group because both groups were traveling; now the choir has grown to 50 members.&nbsp; 



Alto singer Cecelia Manyama from Diepkloof, Soweto, joined
the group in 2016. She was spotted by Bryer at a charity event playing the
violin for a classical group. She is one of the newer members.



“I met Beverly in the line to the loo. She had just heard me singing on stage and she called me aside and introduced herself and invited me for auditions that took place two weeks later. I was excited and couldn’t sleep, the two weeks felt like two years,” Manyama remembers.



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A week after the auditions, she received a message with
details of where the next rehearsals would be. She was in disbelief and told
everyone.



This was a choir that she admired and a choir she used to
watch on television. 



“I was told to lead a song I did at the charity event; I was
terrified. I remember the late Portia Skosana when I froze, and she came next
to me and sung the lead and let me continue. 



“When I started singing, I immediately felt the connection
and we were in sync and it didn’t feel new. With just that rehearsal, I was
blown away,” she recalls. 



Three months later, it was her first concert and performance
in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, for the Clap N Tap concert with the
choir.&nbsp; 



“I will never forget that experience, I led with Avulekile
Amasango (The Gates Have Opened). That was the first song I was given. I then
felt there is no stranger there in the choir,” she says, taking a deep breath. 



“Being with a Grammy award-winning choir and performing with
them for the first time, you have fear and excitement at the same time. We are
in sync and I realized I was not alone. 



“The backing behind me was speaking in volumes, it drove me,
it pushed me and from that day onwards, I never looked back and wanted to learn
more. It was an amazing experience.” 



&nbsp;For each new member
who joins the group, the awards reawaken something within. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="40973" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40973" class="wp-image-40973" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC-703.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir practice session. Picture: Motlabana Monnakgotla</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="926" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC3.png.png" alt="" data-id="40975" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=40975" class="wp-image-40975" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC3.png.png 926w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC3.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC3.png-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SGC3.png-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir practice session. Picture: Motlabana Monnakgotla </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



“I remember with my first Grammy with the group, we went to
the airport to get it. I had never held a Grammy in my hand, but with Soweto
Gospel Choir, I held it,” laughs Manyama. 



“It was amazing. At first, I didn’t understand the kind of
impact it has on the nation but now I realize this is huge; being called
everywhere to perform, and being in the same room with the president holding
the Grammy. That Grammy is heavy and after taking a picture with it, you just
want to pass it on or put it down.” 



Although many have come and gone over the years, the choir
have prioritized succession, as they make it a point to gradually hand over
management to the younger generation, who no doubt have big shoes to fill – and
the legacy of three very heavy gramophone trophies to uphold.&nbsp;

SGCT

Soweto Gospel Choir: Three Heavy Grammys And A World Singing Their Praise

“When it comes to history and memory … it’s easy to remember Nelson Mandela, because he is Nelson Mandela. Who determines whose story we value above others?” 



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This was a question asked by Cathy Mohlahlana, the facilitator of a panel discussion at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MdgBjVvy8Y#action=share">Nelson Mandela Tribute</a> to mark the fifth anniversary of his passing.  



Celebrated author and notable feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was the keynote speaker at the event hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation at the UNISA Ormonde campus in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 12, 2018. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="929" height="611" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture91.png" alt="" data-id="37857" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37857" class="wp-image-37857" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture91.png 929w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture91-300x197.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture91-600x395.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture91-768x505.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="932" height="612" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture4.png" alt="" data-id="37858" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37858" class="wp-image-37858" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture4.png 932w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture4-300x197.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture4-600x394.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture4-768x504.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="926" height="608" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture71.png" alt="" data-id="37855" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37855" class="wp-image-37855" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture71.png 926w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture71-300x197.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture71-600x394.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture71-768x504.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="925" height="614" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-3.png" alt="" data-id="37856" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37856" class="wp-image-37856" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-3.png 925w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-3-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-3-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-3-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption> Soweto Gospel Choir  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



Before Adichie’s address, the audience was regaled by the sounds of the Soweto Gospel Choir who sang songs such as Thina Sizwe, Lizalise Idinga Lakho, and Brenda Fassie’s Vul’indlela.&nbsp;



In paying homage to other anti-apartheid activists, the choir concluded their performance with the Peter Gabriel song Biko.&nbsp;The song is named after Bantu Stephen Biko who died in police detention in 1977, and was at the forefront of the anti-apartheid campaign the Black Consciousness Movement.



Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang also acknowledged Pan Africanist liberation hero Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, who he says was a “towering figure in our history and a man who the apartheid regime tried to erase from memory”. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="932" height="613" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture17.png" alt="" data-id="37859" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37859" class="wp-image-37859" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture17.png 932w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture17-300x197.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture17-600x395.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture17-768x505.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px" /><figcaption> Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave the keynote address  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="925" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture12.png" alt="" data-id="37860" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37860" class="wp-image-37860" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture12.png 925w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture12-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture12-600x399.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture12-768x511.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption>  Sebabatso Moneli  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="926" height="613" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-10.png" alt="" data-id="37861" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37861" class="wp-image-37861" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-10.png 926w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-10-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-10-600x397.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture-10-768x508.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" /><figcaption> Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture18.png" alt="" data-id="37862" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37862" class="wp-image-37862" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture18.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture18-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture18-600x399.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture18-768x511.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption> UNISA Principal and Vice-Chancellor Mandla Makhanya at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera</figcaption></figure></li></ul>



In recognizing the role played by women in the struggle for South Africa’s liberation Hatang said, “we should also remember that this year is about mme (mother) Albertina Sisulu, and those women whose stories and contributions were distorted an minimized by the structures of patriarchy … We should also remember that this is the year we lost mama Winnie Madikizela Mandela.” 



Activist and wife of late former President Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, was also in attendance and listened attentively as Adichie spoke about the power of memory and public imagination. “When I first came to South African ten years after the fall of apartheid, it felt to me as though the past was not yet passed, but that there was a concerted collective resolve to turn away from this truth. South Africans of all races spoke to me of the rainbow nation, and I did not entirely trust this optimism. Well-choreographed as it was.” &nbsp;&nbsp;



“It felt to me a little too easy … It cannot be so unbearably, terribly tidy this process of peace-making,” Adichie said. 



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="924" height="612" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture23.png" alt="" data-id="37863" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37863" class="wp-image-37863" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture23.png 924w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture23-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture23-600x397.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture23-768x509.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px" /><figcaption> Cathy Mohlahlana,  Neo Muyanga, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and   Sebabatso Moneli  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera﻿ </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="930" height="613" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture35.png" alt="" data-id="37864" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37864" class="wp-image-37864" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture35.png 930w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture35-300x198.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture35-600x395.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture35-768x506.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px" /><figcaption> Cathy Mohlahlana facilitates panel discussion at  the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="925" height="600" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture241.png" alt="" data-id="37866" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37866" class="wp-image-37866" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture241.png 925w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture241-300x195.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture241-600x389.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture241-768x498.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px" /><figcaption> Njabulo Ndebele, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and  Graça Machel  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="926" height="616" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture27.png" alt="" data-id="37867" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37867" class="wp-image-37867" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture27.png 926w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture27-300x200.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture27-600x399.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture27-768x511.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" /><figcaption> Graça Machel  receives a plaque  at the Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



&nbsp;Sebabatso Moneli and Neo Muyanga were part of the panel discussion facilitated by Mohlahlana. 



“We are entitled to rage. We are entitled to anger &#8211; to the grief of a painful history. But, we are also invited by history to a breath of stories that expand beyond the stereotypes of slavery and colonialism. 



“African history is vast and I believe that part of the freedom that we are looking for, that our true liberation will not be found in the absence of tension, but in embracing the tension of history,” Moneli said.



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="928" height="613" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture8.png" alt="" data-id="37868" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37868" class="wp-image-37868" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture8.png 928w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture8-300x198.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture8-600x396.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture8-768x507.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" /><figcaption> Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="927" height="612" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture29.png" alt="" data-id="37869" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37869" class="wp-image-37869" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture29.png 927w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture29-300x198.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture29-600x396.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture29-768x507.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 927px) 100vw, 927px" /><figcaption> Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="931" height="618" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture30.png" alt="" data-id="37871" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37871" class="wp-image-37871" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture30.png 931w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture30-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture30-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture30-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 931px) 100vw, 931px" /><figcaption> Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="930" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture201.png" alt="" data-id="37872" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=37872" class="wp-image-37872" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture201.png 930w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture201-300x198.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture201-600x397.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Capture201-768x508.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px" /><figcaption> Nelson Mandela Tribute on  December 12, 2018. Picture: Karen Mwendera </figcaption></figure></li></ul>



While interrogating the idea of telling the facts and the truth, Muyanga added, “the responsibility is all of ours … The process of colonization which is premised on the idea of erasing the original memory and replacing it with the colonists’ memory. So history begins with the arrival of the colony as opposed to the stories we tell of ourselves before.”

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