Johannesburg - Afro jazz and contemporary pop singer Berita are set to perform at the third annual Phinda Mzala concert at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
The show forms part of the Mzansi Fela festival. Phinda Mzala, a phrase reminiscent of Stimela and the 70s, is sure to recharge and re-inspire audiences in this year’s end-of-year chapter from Banda Banda Agency in partnership with the South African State Theatre.
The two-day event will take place on December 10 and 11 at the Opera Theatre. Berita said she feels honoured to perform on such an esteemed stage. She said the last time she watched a performance at the theatre was when Thandiswa Mazwai was performing.
“I have also had the opportunity to watch Zoe Modiga perform on the same stage, and it was such a memorable performance. Both her and Thandiswa’s performances were out of this world. I feel excited to be part of the line-up this year,” she said.
Berita will share the stage with Bongeziwe on Sunday, while singer-songwriter Langa Mavuso will perform on the same with the a capella trio, The Soil.
“This will be the first I get to share the stage with Bongeziwe. I think that he is an amazing artist and performer. I have the utmost respect for his craft. I’m excited to share the stage with him and give the audience one hell of a show,” she said.
Berita said she could not wait to share the stage with Bongeziwe as this would be an opportunity for the pair to work closely together.
“We are both guitarists, so it would be interesting to fuse our music because we sing soulfully. I’m more of an Afro-soul and pop girl, and he is more on the Afro-funk and electronic sound. The audience is in for a treat,” Berita said.
The Thandolwethu hitmaker said the Phinda Mzala Festival plays a significant role in preserving the country’s musical heritage.
“The festival is important for our culture and musical heritage, and I think the line-up speaks to that — it is a line-up of proudly South African and rich African music. It is important that we continue celebrating African music because it makes us who we are and our future generations,” she said.
Berita said that she would reveal at the concert as there are elements of surprises that she cannot speak about, but she promised the audience a good show.
“There are surprises on how we built this year’s show. I cannot say what exactly, but what I can tell you is that there is something special that we would be doing that has not yet been done at the theatre and the other festivals I have performed at this summer,” Berita said.
She said one thing she enjoys about live performances is sharing with the audience how each song was written and how love inspires her music. The organiser of the show Banda Banda theme for this year’s event is family.
“This event is family-friendly. We would like to see many families come out to experience live music with these talented musicians,” he said.
He added that year’s show is a call to action to relive musical experiences centred on the urban African imaginary while celebrating stories of identity, social plights such as GBV, and the much-needed healing for humanity as a result of Covid-19 and many other pandemics.
The Saturday show will be an evening show from 7pm, and the Sunday show will be an afternoon show from 3pm until late. Tickets to the event cost between R250 and R350 at Webtickets and Pick n Pay supermarkets.