The highly anticipated 4th edition of the Folklore Festival is set to return on 11 to 13th September 2025, embracing the powerful theme of #Kinfolk – a celebration of the deep, meaningful connections that bind us as a community rooted in African culture and heritage preservation.
The concept of “Kinfolk” extends far beyond blood relations; it speaks to the spiritual family we create through shared stories, traditions, and cultural experiences that have been passed down through generations. In a world increasingly fragmented by digital disconnection and cultural erosion, the Folklore Festival’s #Kinfolk theme calls for a return to authentic belonging –to the rhythms that pulse through our collective memory, the stories that shape our identity, and the sacred knowledge systems that anchor us to our ancestors and guide us toward our future.
This gathering represents more than entertainment; it is a homecoming where cultural custodians, emerging artists, and community members unite to strengthen the threads that weave us together as one people, celebrating the profound truth that our individual stories are most powerful when they become part of our collective narrative.
FIRST ARTIST LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT
The festival proudly announces its first wave of artists, featuring legendary voices and emerging talent that embody the spirit of cultural preservation and innovation:
The Mahotella Queens – South Africa’s crown jewels of mbaqanga, with a career spanning over fifty years, brought mbaqanga music to a global audience, balancing an emerging urban identity with the nostalgia of traditional cultural practices. The Queens – Hilda Tloubatla, Mildred Mangxola, and Nobesuthu Mbadu – first sealed their place in the legend of urban South African music in the early 1960s.
Buhlebendalo (from The Soil) – Soweto-born gender activist and former lead vocalist of the multi-award winning, internationally acclaimed and double platinum selling South African A cappella group THE SOIL brings her sentiments of local stories deeply rooted in African Spirituality.
Jabulile Majola – One of the rising voices of Afro-Folk, his latest project Isitifiketi talks about identity. rooted in time, movement, and the places and experiences that shape who we are. Growing up at a Children’s Home in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, storytelling was everything —from folk tales to stories about the world beyond. This gifted storyteller discovered his passion for singing in the church before exploring folk music, drawing inspiration from classic & folk maestros like Joseph Shabalala and Leonard Cohen.
Zawadi Yamungu – Known by her Swahili stage name meaning”Gift from God,” Nkosingiphile Mpanza is a deeply moving voice who sings and plays a diverse set of traditional instruments. She channels ancestral spirit through song. Another rising star in the blended world of indigenous and contemporary folk music.
Odwa Bongo – Admired for his extensive vocal range and cultural commitment, Odwa has honed in on uHadi as his instrument of choice, bringing deep traditional invocations and contemporary jazz expression to preserve and celebrate indigenous musical forms.
Tickets on Quicket, link here: https://qkt.io/FolkloreFestival13SeptFamilyDay2025
