Bach in Soweto: Dr Thokozani Mhlambi on Baroque Cello

The Bach cello suites are some of the most intimate pieces ever written for the cello. Pablo Casals, the great 20th century cellist, advocated playing them every morning, saying that he was "sanctifying the air". Soweto is one of South Africa's most well known townships. This was the home of Winnie Mandela. "Historically, the designation of the township was inferior and peripheral to a centre that was town—the hub of economic activity, nearby to where whites resided (their suburbs leafy and less congested). But today that is no longer the complete picture. Today we have blacks and whites residing in those spaces, the suburbs. Townships have also transformed, with improved infrastructure, retail facilities and recreational life. However the peripheral orientation has proven harder to shake-off. It is this orientation that is disrupted when interventions such as the film exhibitions and discussions meet communities in those nightlife spaces. This disruption has to do with a reappraisal of the township itself in the public imagination,"(Mhlambi, Thokozani 2018). Even in this performance of less common German music from the 18th century, in a modern Africa, the township is still be reappraised. Mhlambi himself was born in the township of Madadeni (in KwaZulu-Natal). He has dedicated most of his life transforming historical legacies of African people through cultural innovation. He is currently the National Research Foundation Fellow in Innovation, and in convening the organization Afropolitan Explosiv, Mhlambi interacts with young people across the world through media and entertainment.