The ‘Bantu Biko Street’ fame star who had undergone a vocal cord surgery recently, will appear for the first time on stage in 2019 featuring the award-winning film by Mmabatho Montsho, Joko Ya Hao, a film inspired by the life of struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, to be released in July.
“I was headhunted for the role and accepted because the character was based on and inspired by the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela,” she was quoted.
To claim her crown as the true Africa Soul Queen, Dana who has a new hair look, signed a deal with Universal records last month when she celebrated her 39th birthday.
“I couldn’t talk or sing. The healing part meant seeing a vocal coach who needed to get me back in shape. And now I’m on my way back,” says Dana, who had to lay off for three-months.
But her fans will be happy to know all the ducks are in the row to wow them on the evening.
To catch her live at the Lyric Theatre in Gold Reef City, book your tickets now via Computicket. The show is expected to sell out fast.
This annual celebration is brought to you by Radio 2000 in partnership with The Bassline Live Series.
Ed Note: To date, Dana has released four studio albums (Zandisile, One Love Moment on Bantu Biko Street, Kulture Noir, Firebrand and a live CD The Simphiwe Dana Symphony Experience) and two live DVDs titled ‘An Evening with Simphiwe Dana’ and the most recently ‘The Simphiwe Dana Symphony Experience’.
She has spread her magic into acting when she made her debut into the field by playing Themba’s mother in the film Themba: A Boy Called Hope.
In fact so profound is Dana’s influence that her music has been incorporated into the curriculum at Oxford University, no small feat for even the most established of musician considering that to date Simphiwe has only released 4 studio albums and 2 Live DVD’s.
Known for her grace and conviction, she also serves as the first global African ambassador for Amnesty International and the African Union’s Africa Re-imagined Creative Hub (ARCH), a programme that is dedicated to establishing how the arts, culture and heritage sectors can contribute to the AU’s Agenda 2063.
Dana continues to put into action her strong beliefs about socio-economic development and was appointed the ambassador for the Primestars 2015 ‘Step Up 2 A Start Up’ programme which focused oneducating grade 10 to 12 pupils on how to become successful entrepreneurs.
