traditional musiclatest news & developments
Albert Mazibuko, a member of the legendary group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, passed away on Sunday 5 April aged 77. Photo: Facebook.

Albert Mazibuko and the echoes of isicathamiya

As South Africa mourns Albert Mazibuko, his life reveals the deep intersections between music, memory, displacement, and the resilience of black cultural expression.

  • Kibo Ngowi
6 min read
Powerful presence: Fatoumata Diawara performing at the CTIJF 2026. Photo: Armand Hough

Fatoumata Diawara channels ancestry and activism in Cape Town

Blending Malian heritage with high-energy pop, Fatoumata Diawara used the CTIJF stage to honour her roots and confront FGM, proving that heritage and modern activism are inseparable

  • Busi Lethole
8 min read
Artisan bagpipe maker Ruari Black, the last traditional bagpipe-maker who makes everything by hand from start to finish, works a bagpipe chanter in the workshop of Kilberry Bagpipes in Edinburgh. (ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)

Handmade Highland bagpipes face decline as mass production takes over

The current wait time for an artisan Highland bagpipe is two years

  • Des Erasmus
3 min read