Blowing his own horn
ARTIST’S PRICEY COSTUME IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF HIS CRAFT
When a man of the house passes on, before his body leaves his yard to the cemetery, his praises needs to be recited to connect him to the next world.
Thuli Mahlangu is not your average village lad. He goes to work in a R15 000 outfit and carries a generational kudu horn, which he uses to summon his artistic prowess as Imbongi (praise singer) and enchant his audiences.
In 2010 the 32-year-old shocked the people of his rural village of Machiding in Mpumalanga when he quit a budding kwaito music career to focus on being an Ndebele traditional folklore and praise singer.
Today, he lists royals, as well as the rich and famous, among his clients, including the privilege of ushering in Mpumalanga premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane for the State of the Province Address.
The Citizen caught up with Mahlangu during a heritage event in Mpumalanga and got to discuss his mystic costume, including a leopard skin, complete with its head that dangles majestically on his sweaty forehead.
“I am a direct descendent of legendary Ndebele king Nyabela and what I wear represents that culture and tradition. I wear a leopard skin, which costs about R6 000, on top of a kudu cape, which we call iNaka, that can set you back R3 000 and my shin guards and sandals costs R5 000. Sometimes I have a head gear, depending on an event,
Thulani Mahlangu Praise singer
which costs about R1 000,” he said.
He wears the leopard skin because of he is of royal descent, the house of AmaNdebele wakwa Ndzundza and his official name is Madolo II.
Mahlangu’s pricey costume is an integral part of his craft and his kudu horn, which he said has been passed down from generation to generation in his family, with him being the third-generation of the house of Somalakazi, his clan name, to carry the horn.
Mahlangu does not just blow the horn but seems to talk to it, with its eerie sound enthralling audiences, especially during funerals of people from royal blood in the area of the former KwaNdebele homeland.
Praise-singing forms part of the Ndebele culture and tradition and Mahlangu ensures that he provides this service.
“When a man of the house passes on, before his body leaves his yard to the cemetery, his praises needs to be recited to connect him to the next world, so that his ancestors accept him. That is where I come in. Also, when people get married or have traditional ceremonies, they hire me to recite their praises,” he said.
Mahlangu used the money he saved at the height of his music career to kit himself up and has included Ndebele poetry and storytelling in his list of offerings.
He said the former KwaNdebele homeland was rooted in culture and traditions but that people had no time to tell important historic stories to their children and grandchildren.
“People are willing to pay as long as someone provides the service and they are happy. I am getting paid to do something that I love and also contribute to the preservation of my culture and traditions. We complain about jobs but all we need to do is think solutions,” Mahlangu said.