In 1891, a group of singers named the African Choir sailed from Cape Town to Britain to begin a two-year-long tour, aiming to raise money to fund a school in South Africa. They performed for audiences in England, Canada and the US, and even for Queen Victoria, singing a mix of African and European music, dressed in “native costume” as well as westernised clothes.
This little-known moment in history inspired choreographer Gregory Maqoma’s Broken Chord, a piece of dance-music-theatre created with composer Thuthuka Sibisi. It’s performed by Maqoma alongside a hugely impressive quartet of singers: Tshegofatso Khunwane, Simphiwe Sikhakhane, Lubabalo Velebhayi and the brilliant and versatile Nokuthula Magubane, the sole woman of the group.
