Songs of Migration International Tour: Amsterdam, London, Washington DC and Cape Town
House of Masekela Press Release
Hugh Masekela, Sibongile Khumalo and the multi-talented cast of the acclaimed Songs of Migration kicked off their international tour last weekend at the Royal Theatre Carre in Amsterdam.
Songs of Migration is a musical tribute to the cultural contribution of late–19th century migrants from across the African continent, created by and featuring internationally acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and lyricist Hugh Masekela and written and directed by James Ngcobo. In this celebration of song and dance, the same dusty streets, settlement camps, and train cars that sometimes separated families echo with the centuries of indigenous sounds that helped hold a patchwork culture together. Songs of Migration commemorates and rejoices in the way in which the promise of gold and the search for a better life brought together a continent ‘s worth of music, traditional costumes, instruments, songs, ceremonies, and dance.
Featuring songs by the likes of Joseph Shabalala, Dorothy Masuka, Miriam Makeba, Mackay Davashe, Victor Ndlazilwane, Gibson Kente and Masekela himself, among many others, this cleverly designed show is filled with raw emotion, joyful exuberance and passionate storytelling.
“A musical homecoming…an attempt to reclaim what apartheid suppressed.”
–The New York Times
Songs of Migration saw critical acclaim over 3 runs at the historical Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, and had audiences singing along, crying, and dancing in the aisles.
Sibojama Theatre has now taken on the task of carrying this powerful piece beyond the borders of the ‘City of Gold’ and bringing a wealth of history, heritage, stories and music to audiences around the world.
The tour continued this week with performances at the iconic Hackney Empire in London and will soon grace the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town. For more information on venues, dates and ticket sales go to our Tour Dates page.
