Agenda Barcelona

African soul / indie folk - South Africa

For years now, Bongeziwe Mabandla has been one of the most prominent faces of alternative Black music from Africa. This award-winning and widely renowned South African artist recorded his debut album Umlilo in 2012, and with producer Tiago Correia-Paulo went on to release Mangaliso (2017), iimini (2020) and his latest album so far, amaXesha (2023). All his works draw on tradition, are sung in isiXhosa, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa, and are played by Mabandla on guitar. Is this daring or what? In just a short period of time, Bongeziwe Mabandla’s career has taken him from his small native village to the international stage. Creative and adventurous by nature, he contributed to the soundtrack for the 2023 film Augure by Belgian-Congolese director Baloji, which won the “Un Certain Regard” New Voice Prize at the 2023 Cannes Festival. Now, after playing sold-out venues in major European capitals and participating in a number of festivals (from Oslo World Music Festival to Womex 2025, Wilderness Festival and Lake of Stars in Malawi, among others), he is making his La Mercè debut in a night of African folk and soul that promises to be an eye-opening experience for Barcelona audiences.

For all audiences