Mosadi Sessions for her...and him

Its about 19:00 on July the 14^th, I’m rushing up Jan Smuts road in Johannesburg, South Africa, a road notorious for sweeping me into the clutches of the most terrible weather. I wait for a few minutes that begin to feel like excruciating hours, which slowly tick me off and rattle my impatience.  It was then that a white taxi appeared racing beyond the speed limit only to come to a halt a few meters ahead of me. My late journey to an event I knew very little about began. I got off just over a Kilometer away from the venue and started asking every Jabulani from the petrol station to every Abdula who occupied the neatly packed together hybrid tuckshops, about a little known coffee shop by the name Afrika Freedom Station. After countless minutes of marching up and down a road that had more curves than a smart phone, I arrived and made my way into the warm coffee shop.

Shuffling into the venue I was greeted by a familiar harmony…a blend of voices that had me floating between mind and space only to drop me on to my seat at the end of an enchanting song. It wasn’t the first time that I had heard Motsatsing perform but it was indeed the first time I was afforded the opportunity to experience her and her band so close and personal. They delivered a warm performance and displayed an amazing chemistry communicating with each other almost telepathically and teasing us with their reaching notes and enthralling harmonies, they sang songs that took me back to my aunts farm in the free state where we chased chickens and wondered off to an endless forest only to return to a warm cooked meal and a hot bath.

That was not all that was on offer that night, aside from the extra spicy chicken wraps and the rich red wine that was on sale, we were in for another treat for our minds to savour. The open mic segment of the programme was then introduced by one of the hosts, Mantedieng “Please say my name right” Mamabolo also known simply as Mantis followed by her partner in beautiful crime Kutlwano Khali who went on to break the ice for the cold footed open mic participants. We then got to experience women pour out their souls in front of strangers, another indication to how far a woman’s mind and heart goes and how deep their feelings stem from. I learnt a lot about womankind as a whole and most importantly a lot more about issues that affect them on a daily basis as we walk around heedlessly with our trunks hanging, throwing our weight around. Check out the Buwa on facebook page here.

Photography by: Okuhle Magcaba