African cuisine and all that jazz at The Square Africa
The Square Africa, situated on Station Street in East London, combines food and music in their Friday Lunchtime Jazz specials.
Owners Gary Ndlovu, Vido Madikane and Mboniseni Sizibo have merged music, boxing and food and created a visually pleasing space in the CBD.
With their Friday Lunchtime Jazz, they hope to tap further into the city’s diversity by opening opportunities for the youth.
The venue hosts events in its boxing ring and on Friday introduces Zubenathi “Zubi” Mkondo, backed by Mandisi Luxomo on piano, Ronnie Jazz on drums and Raheem Louhand on bass guitar.
“I was mostly in the background, backing up other singers but now The Square Africa is giving me the chance to present my own music,” said Zubi who describes her sound as “soulful and authentic”.
The owners of The Square Africa believe that talent should not be allowed to leave the Eastern Cape because of a lack of resources and so have devised the boxing ring and a state-ofthe-art sound system to help budding boxers and emerging artists reach their potential.
“We want our jazz shows to bridge the gap between young and old. We also want people to relax in a creative space that encourages business,” Ndlovu said.
Entry to the Friday Lunchtime Jazz sessions are free. Visitors will enjoy not only Zubi’s music but African cuisine as well at an affordable price.