2017 SAMA Best Jazz Album for UFH's Music Department Head
The University of Fort Hare music department lecturer, Nduduzo Makhathini scooped an award for the best jazz album category during the 23rd South African Music Awards held in the North West on Saturday the 26th.
Nduduzo, a recipient of Newton British Academy scholarship where he is currently completing his master’s program has an ambition of “Making the University of Fort Hare’s music department a department of first choice in this country” and believes it is possible “if we collectively contribute to making this space the most musical in the universe in the same way that we have contributed immensely in producing some of the greatest leaders in Africa”.
In his collection of achievements he boasts of a total of nine albums, having toured the length and breadth of the universe with a number of artists. He was awarded the Standard Bank young artist award in 2015 and have been nominated many times for both the Metro Awards and the SAMA’s.
Nduduzo was born from a musical family in Umgungundlovu, his mother a keyboard player and father played guitar and he describes his music journey as having followed the movement of water, through the river Umsunduzi to Umgeni and eventually to the Indian Ocean that reaches everywhere. Out of all the achievements that he has saw he believes “the greatest achievement is receiving the music that contributes positively to consciousness and help us come closer to a new mode of humanism that provides fairly and equal to all existence”.
Having spent four years in the UFH music department he puts more emphasis to mentoring beyond the classroom, inviting guest artists to give masterclass and performance workshops and this “has somehow created a broader awareness and understanding of the music industry for my students and I believe this award will contribute in inspiring them to search further”.
Story by Mawande Mrashula