Ep. 121-Spreading love, one song at a time—my conversation with Thanda Choir

During my recent trip to South Africa, I was honored to be invited to a rehearsal of Cape Town’s own Thanda Choir. Afterwards, I sat down with two choir members, Iva Sogiba and Siyasanga Mhlekwa, and two managers, Asavela Mpayipeli and Zikhona Mapisa. We discussed the choir’s founding and the importance of recognizing and bringing awareness to Khayelitsha Township. Our conversation encompassed the church music that has inspired them and the passion and hopes for healing that Mhlekwa and Sogiba, along with their fellow choir members, bring to their songs. Traumas experienced by choir members and the larger community both are attended to with care, through the mentorship of Mpayipeli and the strong mothering of Mapisa, a well-known gospel artist in her own right.

https://thandachoir.co.za