Tlokwe Sehume | Music of the Mountains | Kiba Music | Farming | Afrikan indigenous instruments |Mvet

Tlokwe Sehume’s music has been described as African orchestra in motion, the type that keeps rewinding itself in your head long after the musicians have packed their instruments. It is music that – though it is steeped in African folk traditions – transcends ethnic and tribal boundaries. Known as mmino wa thaba (Sotho/Tswana for ‘music of the mountains’), its traditional sound leans on indigenous percussive instruments like mbira, marimba and lekope.

Its hypnotic effect lies in its powerful poetry, haunting melodies, piercing percussions and soul-stirring vocals. To a listener it is music that possesses the same serene, therapeutic effect that can be found in the peace and quiet of mountains long after every creature has gone to sleep. But it is also music with the power to shake many from the slumber of self-pity. His motto is: let’s stop crying and start thinking. The hallmark of his music is poignant songwriting characterised by sharp socio-political commentary and the traditional wisdom of a griot, spreading enlightenment.

In Sehume’s musical world, ancient mbira music meets modern township jazz to create an engaging style that brings the past and the present together. Essentially self-taught, the Pretoria-born award-winning musician regards himself as a vehicle through which ancient African sounds flow. “I see myself as a medium that brings a contemporary feel to this music, that crucial link in the ancestral chain of the music of the people of the day before yesterday, for people of the day after tomorrow,” he says.

In the tradition of the African ancients, Sehume employs various media to convey his message – poetry, chants, wails, praises, laments and the like.
The grandson of a traditional healer and trombonist who played brass music in a military band, Sehume says though music is his calling, his leaning towards roots music was profoundly influenced by Tshwane-born artists like poet, painter and philosopher, Lefifi Tladi and Philip Tabane, the foremost exponent of the malombo (spirits) sound. “Dr Philip Tabane’s unapologetic stance towards indigenous music at a time when most of his contemporaries looked up to the west for inspiration left a lasting impression on me,” Sehume recalls.

He is the only local who plays mvet, a traditional Cameroonian 10-string instrument. He travels extensively around the country’s schools where he teaches children to craft and play indigenous instruments. Sehume is also the founder of Medu Nakeng, a musical concept that incorporates various ethnic musical traditions. Initiated in 2003 as a 37-piece ensemble of mainly Bapedi musicians, Medu Nakeng has grown significantly to include in its rich and diverse repertoire Batswana, VhaVenda and Khoi-San musicians - all from rural areas.

“The problem with our new dispensation is that we still experience the problem of marginalisation. Some cultures are still deemed more important than others. “While authorities talk of cultural diversity and use Khoi-San words – Unity in Diversity –on our coat of arms, the sad reality is that groups such as the Khwe and the San are most marginalised of the lot. Their languages are not recognised. And yet these ancient people have given birth to our collective, modern identity.” Widely travelled with extensive tours that include India, Cameroon, Hungary, France and Italy, he was part of the 2010 celebrations in Germany, July when FIFA handed over the World Cup to South Africa.

Discography
Naga Ya Fsa (Gallo, 2001).
Ba Utlwile (Gallo, 2002).
Tlokwe Sehume In Concert (Gallo, 2003).