Online Reporter
Langalakhe Mabena [email protected]
South African Maskandi music legends Ingane Zoma have been announced as one of the headline acts for this year’s Isintu Fest UK, set to take place on July 11 at the Holford Drive Community Hub in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Renowned for their enduring contribution to the preservation and promotion of traditional Zulu music, Ingane Zoma are expected to deliver their signature Maskandi sound at a festival that has rapidly grown into one of the United Kingdom’s premier celebrations of Southern African culture.
The iconic group will share the stage with an array of talented performers, including festival founder Sisa Senkosi, Mazilankatha, 2 Kidd, Zinjaziyamluma and Busi Mhlanga, among others.
Adding further cultural significance to this year’s event is the participation of a delegation from the Imiklomelo kaDakamela Cultural Awards, a cultural initiative championed by Chief Dakamela of Nkayi in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.
Organisers say the festival will once again offer an immersive cultural experience through music, dance, storytelling, traditional attire, African cuisine and cultural exhibitions, bringing together members of the African diaspora and cultural enthusiasts from across the UK.
Founded in 2023 by Zimbabwean-born, UK-based Maskandi artiste and cultural ambassador Sisa Senkosi, Isintu Fest was established to address the limited visibility of Southern African traditional music genres and indigenous cultural expressions on international platforms.
The festival has since evolved into an important platform for showcasing and preserving cultural heritage, particularly genres such as Maskandi, rhumba and other traditional art forms that continue to shape Southern Africa’s identity.
Beyond entertainment, Isintu Fest seeks to reconnect diaspora communities with their roots while promoting cultural pride, intergenerational learning and unity through the philosophy of Ubuntu.
