Sauti za Afrika, a Kenyan-South African Afro-jazz collective, is debuting an EP titled Singabalapha on January 2027. It explores identity, belonging, displacement, grief, hope and the shared experiences that connect African communities across borders.
Sauti za Afrika is a band by emerging African musicians who met at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town. It has vocalists and band leaders Maria Gakenye and Khonkco Twalo, guitarist Daniel Roux, bass guitarist Girswin Pypers, pianist Mthetho Mathenjwa, and drummer and percussionist Josh Roelofse.
Some members come from South African coloured communities, bringing different approaches to jazz and harmony, while Gakenye's Kenyan background contributes East African musical influences.
The five-track EP takes its name from the isiXhosa phrase meaning “We Belong Here” and is inspired by the experiences of communities affected by displacement and gentrification in Cape Town.
“I was starting university in 2019 in Cape Town to pursue my undergraduate studies, and the issue of displacement came up when residents of a certain building were displaced and had nowhere to go,” she says.
The title track, Singabalapha, was inspired by the Singabalapha community in Observatory, Cape Town, which emerged after residents were displaced by redevelopment and gentrification. Their presence became a symbol of resistance, dignity and belonging.
“The idea was to centre our beliefs in the process of making music. We try to advocate for the voiceless and speak up against injustice when we see it,” says Twalo.
The next song, Zayaphi? meaning “Where Did They Go?”, looks back nostalgically at a time when neighbours supported one another and communities were closely connected, while questioning what happened to that sense of togetherness.
Hali ya Dhoruba, or “Stormy Weather”, explores grief, loss and uncertainty as Black people, creating space for listeners to acknowledge difficult emotions.
Kwa Khanya, or “Into the Light", is a song of gratitude that honours God, ancestors and the people whose sacrifices helped make the present possible.
The final track, Afreecan Blues, celebrates African heritage through chanting, pentatonic harmony and an African interpretation of the traditional 12-bar blues. It draws on Swahili proverbs and ancestral wisdom to affirm the possibility of a better future.
Sauti za Afrika's music is ingrained in Afro-jazz, while inspired by African neo-traditional melodies, indigenous rhythms, vocal harmonies, spoken word, storytelling and contemporary improvisation.
“There is an openness to it. There is the influence of Zulu and isiXhosa sounds, jazz, Kenyan traditional music and the musical experiences of the band's diverse members. It is Pan-African because we want people to understand the message,” she says.
Twalo describes the sound as “a tapestry of Afro-jazz from all over Africa” that can feel familiar in different places. The band also incorporates both Kiswahili and isiXhosa into its music.
He says that working with Kenyan musicians has made him more aware of the ways African communities can be separated by geography while connected through language, culture and histories. He has also been learning Kiswahili, which he says has opened up another dimension of the collaboration.
“A Kenyan listener, for example, may connect the EP's exploration of displacement with experiences of protest and social upheaval in Kenya, while South African audiences may recognise parallels with xenophobia and displacement. Music has the capacity to make people softer and create consciousness,” she says.
Gakenye’s musical journey began in Kenya, where she participated in music festivals while attending Precious Blood Riruta. She later pursued music at Kenyatta University, where she became interested in questions around the way music is taught and whose musical traditions are prioritised.
“I felt my voice wasn't tied to my identity during my earlier classical training. We really need to tie our music to our identity, even in how we teach and create,” she says.
When she moved to the University of Cape Town's College of Music, she immersed herself in South African jazz and its history, especially the role music played in responding to apartheid and expressing resistance.
She later pursued a master's degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Cape Town, where she explored how indigenous knowledge and musical systems could have a bigger role in education.
Gakenye believes that role begins with the artist's own understanding of who they are and the experiences that shape their work. Her Kenyan heritage revolves around that identity, especially in the way she hears melodies and traditional chanting.
Twalo's musical journey began in primary school when he joined the internationally acclaimed Tigerberg Children's Choir. His interest deepened when he joined a school jazz band in 2018 and began interacting with musicians across Cape Town.
He later enrolled at the College of Music, where he met Gakenye and other musicians who would become part of Sauti za Afrika.
She founded Sauti za Afrika in 2023. Its philosophy is rooted in Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — and the belief that artists do not exist in isolation.
Twalo says one of the biggest surprises has been discovering just how much the musicians' experiences have in common. Despite differences in nationality and language, they have found shared musical instincts and cultural references.
“It brings cohesiveness. The band hopes to demonstrate that Africans can continue to connect through culture, music and shared humanity,” he says.
The collective sees music as a form of cultural custodianship and social commentary — a way to preserve and evolve culture while addressing questions of freedom, dignity and justice.
The band hopes to curate events that provide space for other artists exploring similar ideas and to create experiences centred on Black joy, freedom and collective expression. It held its first show, Freedom Is a Voice, in May and plans to perform in Nairobi.
“I am interested in collaborating and creating platforms for artists whose work engages with African identity, culture and social issues,” Gakenye says.