Growing up in Soweto, Diepkloof Zone 2, I got exposed to an advanced level of Xitsonga culture. My neighbours are Tsonga; the majority of people I grew up playing with were Tsonga, and Xitsonga was our primary language of communication when playing. I’ve always been a fan of Sho Madjozi cause she has become one of the advocates for one of the minority tribes in South Africa.

When I first watched the full Sho Madjozi “Kona” music video, I was mind blown, more especially when I saw the last scenes. There are subtle scenes of her in Los Angeles, but the ones from Shirley village take the cake. The direction and cinematography stand out, thanks to TopShotta.

Sho Madjozi’s sound is Gqom infused with subtle trap elements and Tsonga traditional influences. I guess that’s why she’s the Gqom empress. Her vocals are mostly in Xitsonga or Kiswahili with a hint of English, but Kona is extremely different. Kona has a more traditional Tsonga sound than any other Madjozi song.  She used the sounds that you usually hear from Xitsonga music veterans such as Benny Mayengane, Percy Mfana and Joe Shirimani, just to name a few.

Such songs are played in a social gathering called “Makhwaya”, where different Xitsonga dancing groups come together, draped in their best “Xibelane” and/or “Mutsheka” to show off their dancing skills. This was represented through the last scenes when Sho Madjozi was dancing with her dancers wearing “Swibelane” and the Sho Madjozi Edgars capsule collection. Madjozi wore five different sets of “Xibelane” on the video, pairing them with bright colored clothing items and not forgetting Nike kicks, from the Air Max 1 to the Nike Mens Air Max 1 DLX Animal Pack 2.0.

I believe the first scene of the video, with appearances of her mother, Rosemary Phaweni and late sister Makhanani Nyeleti Manganye, was also quite important for many Tsonga people who may have been belittled and undermined for being proudly Tsonga. I’m Venda, and I fully understand how it is to be a part of a minority ethnic group, and with that said, happy Africa Day, even though it was yesterday. The video has 1.4 million views on YouTube (when this article was published).