Mail & Guardian
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Doyenne of the Drum decade: Dolly Rathebe was a pioneer black female celebrity. Photo: Nick de Blois/Gallo Images/Sunday Times
ALBERTINA SISULU

Dolly Rathebe: South Africa’s original black superstar

Dolly Rathebe’s musical legacy is inseparable from the cultural life of Sophiatown.

  • Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang
5 min read
Good times: Joe Nina and collaborator Steve Kekana in March 2020. (Photo: Oupa Bopape)
ABRAM MOJALEFA

Steve Kekana: Blind, brilliant and bold as love

When news of the passing of one of SA’s most iconic musicians broke, Bongani Madondo revisited his songbook and located him in the global pantheon of the greatest vocalists, ever

  • Bongani Madondo
18 min read
Melvyn Peters and Thandi Klaasens at the famed Rainbow Restaurant and Jazz Club in Pinetown. (All images by Rafs Mayet)
AGRIPPA AND NELSON MAGWAZA

Why we need a South African jazz photography archive

We need more books about South African jazz, focusing on both the verbal and the visual, to fully capture and appreciate the unique ‘river of culture we’ve been bequeathed’

  • Rafs Mayet
7 min read