Thandiswa Mazwai: Tiny Desk x globalFEST

In 2021, the Tiny Desk x globalFEST series was created to promote international music discovery. For the last three years, artists from around the globe have performed Tiny Desk (home) concerts from their respective countries, but for the first time this year, artists performed at the Tiny Desk at NPR’s headquarters. Suraya Mohamed | April 1, 2024 Thandiswa Mazwai is one of post-apartheid South Africa’s most influential musicians. For nearly 30 years she has championed a kind of dance music called Kwaito. The South African genre mixes a variety of rhythms and influences including hip-hop, reggae, jazz and house music. This phenomenal set starts with “Nizalwa Ngobani?”, translated from the Xhosa language for “Do you know where you come from?” It’s dedicated to the ever-resilient people of South Africa. “I want to say to my people at home, thank you,” she says. “I am known worldwide because of you.” After, she sings a love song, “Ingoma” with the memorable hook “Ngoma we, ngoma we, ngo