Sign up

South African music icon Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela was released in 1997 after the end of apartheid. Although it was still part of a deeply racially divided social milieu, it rose to become an anthem of celebration and expressed the hope of freedom. In July 2023 the Lang Collection of African Art makes the journey, along with Indigenous ancestors and Queen’s transfer collection, to a new temporary abode on campus while we prepare for Agnes Reimagined. As a moment of celebration, Agnes staff and members of the broader community enact a procession that honors the African collection through music, poetry and dance.

Participants in the procession will be gifted a curated poetry bundle.
eleven metal tongues is written by award winning poet, Juliane Okot Bitek. The Lang Collection of African Art acted as a catalyst for the poems.

Curated by Qanita Lilla, Associate Curator, Arts of Africa

In July 2023, the Lang Collection of African art made the journey to a temporary home on Queen’s campus in preparation for the Agnes Reimagined rebuild. As a moment of honouring and celebration, members of the broader community enacted the Vulindlela procession to honour the African collection through music, poetry and dance. The song Vulindlela was released by South African music icon Brenda Fassie and was released in 1997 after the end of formal apartheid.

This playlist celebrates the richness and vibrancy of contemporary African music, coming mostly from South Africa and Nigeria but including Kenya. These are the places where either the African collection or the procession participants originated. Some of the tracks also contain musical instruments that reside in the African collection like (Penny Whistle by Mango Groove and Burn Out by Sipho Hotstix Mabuse) others emphasizes migration and movement (CANADA by Lojay and Mowbray Kaap by Freshly Ground). Tracks like Jerusalema (Master KG) and Vulindlela (Brenda Fasie) celebrate life and overcoming difficulty.