South African rapper Sho Madjozi is a bold and colourful presence in pop culture, as famous for her catchy lyrics as for using traditional clothing and dance in a fresh way.
The musician, actress and poet is also one of very few young South African artists working in a minority language, Xitsonga. With 12 official languages in South Africa, Xitsonga is the first language of only about 4.5% of the population, mostly in the rural northern province of the country called Limpopo. The Tsonga people also live in neighbouring Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Eswatini.
Yet, in 2019, “village girl” Sho Madjozi burst onto the world stage with her hit song John Cena, winning a BET award in the US for Best International Newcomer. By 2021 she had established herself as best female artist at the South African Music Awards.
