THOBILE USES HER ART AS A VOICE

Makoyane fuses haunting vocal harmonies with traditional instruments such as the makoyane and sitolotolo, combine with strong lyrical content, and a powerful and charismatic stage presence captivating her audiences as she addresses social issues with the aim, to not only entertain, but to educate, empower and uplift. 

Born in the rural areas of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Thobile Magagula, got her stage name, ‘Makoyane’, when she decided to bring back to life the dying instruments, makoyane and sitolotolo, which are also indigenous to Eswatini. 

She started performing as a stage actress and dancer in the late 90s, before she ventured into music. 

She co-founded the music duo Spirits Indigenous, which has performed in Eswatini, South Africa and Mozambique. She also founded the Hand Made Voices, which celebrates and embrace collaborations by women in the arts across borders. STYLE chats to this phenomenal woman, who would use her voice to empower women. 

STYLE (S): Who inspires you?

Thobile Magagula (TM): I’m inspired by God’s wonders, voices inspire me too, African stories and rhythms, poets, bass lines, singing birds and boldness. I also draw inspiration from pain.

S: You have participated in some of the biggest stages around the world, what has that taught you in your line of work, especially being a traditional liSwati musician?

TM: The first time I performed on a big stage was at the International Trade Fair where I was part of Macford Sibandze’s band in 1999 and we performed alongside Boom Shaka, iZingane Zoma and other artists. That alone taught me that I have a potential to rock any stage. It is what I am doing in my life now, rocking every stage, big or small! NgesiSwati!

S: Tell us about your upcoming feature in Mozambique, how did you get featured?

TM: Mozambique is like my second home, where I feel welcomed for my performances anytime. It is where I have made the most stage appearances. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and partial lockdown, I graced stages there almost every month and this feature did not come as a surprise to me because I have cemented my name and brand there as most venues  contact me for scheduling venues. 

S: Has this journey been easy? Please share some of your biggest highlights?

TM: The music journey hasn’t been an easy one for me, but the hardships have shaped me into becoming the artist that I am. I have learned a lot about myself, about stage and about my craft as a business. My biggest highlights have been my journey with Spirits Indigenous because we did some of the most incredible projects and had great collaborations from dance to film as well as theatre.  Those experiences taught me a lot. 

S: Being an artist who has been in the industry for quite some time, how can you inspire other artists, especially those interested in pursuing your kind of genre?

TM: Artists must be true to themselves and true to their stories. They must also remember that they can be inspired by someone but you can’t be that someone. You still have to walk your path, write and tell your own story. Nobody else can tell it better than you.  For those who aspire to do this kind of genre, I would like to let them know that it is not well appreciated by our society, but believing and being versatile in it will make society believe in it. It’s not for celebrities and stars, your soul reaps the awards (lol) It’s a genre for the soul(s).

S: How has your versatility afforded you opportunities to perform for non-English speaking audiences?

TM: Music is an art that speaks many languages so I allow my craft to speak a language with conviction. When I am performing it becomes a universal language that seeks not only to be heard, but to be understood and felt. So many people can relate, regardless of the language.

S: What does ‘The Loud Silence’ speak to and how do you hope the platform you chose to use will inspire others?

TM: This is a one woman play, which was written by a liSwati named Dzelisile Mdluli and it speaks about a woman, who was jailed for murdering her abusive husband. She tells the tale of the whole story and it speaks about bringing justice to women, who have survived these kinds of crimes, especially women who have endured pain and suffered abuse from their spouses. With these kinds of crimes, the play seeks to ask for the justice systems to be lenient towards these women as their freedom is compromised due to that. 

S: Why do you feel women empowerment is vital, especially since there are campaigns centred around 16 days of activism Agaist Gender-Based Violence?

TM: Women empowerment is globally vital and these campaigns should be done beyond the 16 days. I wish these could also be entangled with the World Orange Day, which highlights the pain endured by women and children globally through the hands of men. These are celebrated on every 25th day of every month, where everyone works together against gender-based violence. Also I believe that such causes should not use the word fighting but as a means of raising awareness because you cannot do with violence by using violence. 

S: When you’re not gracing world stages what do you do?

TM: When I am not doing my favourite thing, which is performing, I do my courses on Naturopathy online, which I started in 2016. Naturopathy or naturopathic medicine is a form of alternative medicine that employs an array of pseudoscientific practices branded as ‘natural’, ‘non-invasive’, or promoting ‘self-healing’. The ideology and methods of naturopathy are based on vitalism and folk medicine, rather than evidence-based medicine. I have been doing crash courses on nutrition, weight loss and the use of herbs in natural and holistic healing. I package and sell herbs at farmer’s or organic markets. I also make products using coconuts. 

S: What lessons are you walking out of lockdown with as you transition into 2021?

TM: First of all, the lockdown made me move from my comfort zone and I moved back to the rural areas, where I get to be calm, going back to my roots and have discovered things by retracing through interactions with the women around me. I follow these women with no formal employment such that they have not experienced a strict lockdown because they never moved. Through this, I have learnt that the more we are still and content, we become better people. I can do many things that other women who are living in the city have abandoned, which in turn make me money. 

Where I live now, I have experienced the barter system of trade because we live for each other, a more advanced ‘cashless’ world. 

I would like to carry this lifestyle well into the New Year and forever. 

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