Teen violinist to honour legacy of late icon
EASTERN Cape-born violinist Neo Motsatse will honour the late Albertina Sisulu at the National Arts Festival (Naf ) next week with a musical production, Letters with MaSisulu.
The 18-year-old musician, who was born in Port Elizabeth but is now based in Johannesburg, has been hosting her own concerts since the age of 10. This year marks the centenary celebrations of Sisulu, and Motsatse said she could not think of anything better to honour the antiapartheid icon.
Symphonically arranged, the music and the narrative are carefully crafted to evoke profound memories of the character and dignity of Ma Sisulu, as she was affectionately known. Accompanied by an ensemble comprising vocalists, instrumentalists and a narrator, Motsatse is determined to give an unforgettable performance for Sisulu.
Motsatse started playing the violin at the age of six and has since honed her craft, which has seen her perform on big stages, the most recent being the 1 000seater Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg for the eighth instalment of her annual concert series called Neo Motsatse the Concert in March.
The western classically trained violinist said she would like to unite audiences through her music, while ensuring there was something for everyone.
“I want to play music that my peers can enjoy, classical music fans can enjoy and that all South Africans can enjoy. I play music that makes you happy, evokes memories, makes you think and even makes you dance,” she said, adding that Letters with MaSisulu would be no different.
Motsatse said the decision to honour Ma Sisulu came after she started her own organisation called Girl Power. She said she could not look at the youth as future leaders without looking at the style of leadership exercised by Ma Sisulu in her youth.
“I want people to celebrate her just as much as other people in the liberation movement are celebrated. She was a different kind of leader. She embraced being a woman and a mother and she played such a big role in the freedoms that I enjoy today,” she said.
Motsatse, who made her debut at the festival in 2016 and earned herself a Standard Bank Ovation Award for music, said she was looking forward to returning.
“The first time I came to Naf I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so well received that I thought that I really need to come back. This time I’m doing something completely different. I’m telling a story that every South African needs to hear,” she said, adding that the Letters with MaSisulu production was the first of many initiatives she planned on doing this year to honour and celebrate her.
The production will be at the Thomas Pringle Hall in the monument on Monday at 3pm, on Tuesday at 1pm and Wednesday at 1pm. Tickets for the show cost R60 and can be booked at www.nationalartsfestival.co.za. —