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The City That Sings

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BBC Radio 4 - The City That Sings

Singing together is bringing hope to a struggling South African community.

Makhanda is a divided and struggling South African city. But one thing can unite it – singing. Every year its choirs take to the stage. Hear what happened in 2020.

To sing, all you need is a voice.

Makhanda is a South African city with a colonial past, a challenging present and an uncertain future. It struggles with huge issues of social inequality, crumbling infrastructure, administrative mismanagement and racial misunderstanding. For many of its residents every day is a struggle. 

But it has another heritage. 

It's a city rich in creative talent and is home to South Africa’s National Arts Festival. Masicule is an annual choir event, created by the Festival, with the aim of bringing people together to do the one thing that South Africans do best – sing. 

Local vocalist, Nombasa Maqoko, brings you the story of Masicule 2020, a chance to hear some of its wonderful music and to discover how singing creates a brief flicker of light in Makhanda’s current darkness.


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