MkhuluZanele Mashinini with healers from AmazonCarlos Hernandez and Frank Rocha and Mkhulu Andile Malotana

Art is Life

Lyrics and Poem - Dedicated to Minus Mashinini

Lyrics and poem: M?nus Mash?n?n? Isoja loMkhonto Vuka Mathambo - Thetha iSizwe Silalele Vuka Mkhonto - Thetha iSizwe Silalele M?nus Mash?n?n? Isoja loMkhonto WeSizwe Vuka Thongo Lomzabalazo - ISizwe Silalele Salute Commander! Salute Commander! Bayekele! Bayekele! Bayekele! Bayekele! Bayekele! Bayekele! Bayekele! Sobafaka Intjayelo Yabona LabaBantu Abaz' Umlandu WaleNgoma Umuthi uqala kuphi - Usukahpi Bayekhe Mash?n?n? Bazozwa Ngenyoni ZeZulu Salute Tambo Salute Salute Slovo Salute Salute Biko Salute Salute Tiro Salute Minus Monument The late Saul Sibusiso Mashinini, nom de guerre Minus, Malankana, MaQuestion, Khosing was born to Catherine Mapule Nomoya Mashinini nee Moloi and Johannes Delane Mashinini in 1960. He was the first born in a family of seven boys and one girl. He skipped the country in 1976, soon after turning sixteen, and joined the ANC in Swaziland. On the 8th August 1976, when this Soweto born activist left the country, he was a student at Phuti Senior Secondary School in Orlando West. At the time the apartheid security police had swopped on the entire June ’76 student leadership. Saul served as a member of the Soweto Student Representative Council (SSRC) and the South African Student Movement (SASM). He was also a main character in a play: 'Whose to be Blamed' directed by Seth Mazibuko, which was a smokescreen to mobilise students prior to the June 1976 upheavals. Minus was the member of uMkhonto Wesizwe June 16th Detachment. As Head of Department of Ordnance, he was tasked with infiltrating armoury in South Africa and was responsible for smuggling Katyusha rocket into the country, which was used by Barney Molokoane and his unit to blow Sasol in 1985. Initially based in Somalia, he was subsequently deployed in Angola, Mozambique and Swaziland. Minus received military training in Angola, Tanzania, Ukraine (Kiev) Odessa and the Germany Democratic Republic (GDR), among many countries. He served under the late Andrew Mlangeni and Job Tabane nom de guerre, Cassius Maake. Minus who spoke several foreign languages fluently was working for the Angolan Embassy in Lusaka at the time of his mysterious demise. In 1990 October 20th, his badly decomposed remains was discovered in a Zambian morgue by his fellow comrade and confidante, the late Nelson Dladla. To this day Minus' cause of death still remains mysterious. The family was initially informed that he died in a car crash. When his mortal remains arrived home - one eye was gouged and his private parts were missing. The virtuoso, musical maestro, Blondie Makhene has produced, a song aptly called: 'A Song for Minus' to commemorate his phenomenal contribution to the liberation of the country. The song features young kwaito artists Thabiso 'Mzorino' Mthunzi and Kgaphe 'Kenti' Makhene.

Minus Mashinini Isoja Lomkhonto

CD Compilation produced by Blondie Makhene featuring Kgape 'Kente' Makhene, Thabiso 'Mzorino' Mthunzi (Kwaito artist) and Zanele Mashinini. Words Blondie Makhene, Mzorino and Zanele Mashinini. cover Design Zanele Mashinini. Recorded at Inkosi YaManzi Studio. (South Africa - Gauteng Province Tladi Soweto)<

Blondie Makhene on his 63rd Birthday celebrate the late Minus Mashinini

Women's Month Anthem

Ma … Ma Greeting from the womb of Africa - Greetings from the cradle of humankind! Greeting from the land of y(our) forbears! Greetings from the soil that birthed minerals owned by others while her children fight over left overs! Greeting from Motherland! Greeting Healer amongst Healers from the land of plenty! Greetings from the source of human civilisation! Greetings from the womb that produced great Kings and Queens! Greetings Queen Mothers! Greeting Prophets! Greeting Living Ancestors! Greeting God of all Creations! Greeting to All your Ancestors known and unknown! Seen and unseen! Heard and unheard! Living and lifeless! Touched and untouchable! Reached and unreachable! Vocal and voiceless! Praised and unpraised! Soiled and unsoiled! Pardoned and unpardoned! Persecuted and unpersecuted Recognised and unrecognised! Claimed and unclaimed! Named and unnamed! Born and unborn! Forgotten and unforgotten! Spoken off and unspoken off! Buried and unburied! Chained and unchained! Enslaved and unslaved! Molested and unmolested! Accounted for and unaccounted for! Fetched unfetched! Understood misunderstood! Worshiped unworshipped! Mortalised and immortalised! Served and unserved! Delivered and undelivered! Valued and undervalued! Remembered and unremembered! Discovered and undiscovered! Buried and unburied! Initiated and uninitiated! Wounded and unwounded! Tortured and untortured! Welcomed and unwelcome! Bloodied and unbloodied! Detained and undetained! Paired and unpaired. Hailed and unhailed! Whipped and unwhipped! Shipped ahoy and unshipped ahoy! Soiled and unsoiled! Killed as kids! Tortured as teenagers, Artists and architects! Scientists and saints! Healers and health givers! Pioneers and Professors! Intellectuals and innovators! Deity and Dreamers! Mentioned and unmentionable! To one and all! If only your frame could talk Give hint that she vibrates Within the same frequencies As mine And that of the Gods Known and unknown Speak directly to me What would she input? Don’t mean your original you Your own identity For I have grown to know your voice This is not about the you in you Voice I am referring to is your DNA Chanting echoes heard and unheard Impressions of your genetic factor Accent from within without your open-air voice Anatomy where all of your own strength Flows and flow nonstop Universe touchable and untouchable Epitome of gracefulness University of Ubuntu cradle of everlasting love An orchestra that belts soundless Yet serenading sounds Today I am not about the energy That wrapped me around Celebrating my being Don’t need that species Heard enough from that fountain of love Life that brought me here Has been voice of reason for years Connect not with me in your person But, as speck of dense dust … that soulful source of life What will your frame say? Layer upon layers of flesh that forms you Effigy I had grown to know No … not your physical soul Can fully relate to that character All I want to eavesdrop is Spirit outside of your physical soul Bones those that pushed mountains To make this world a better place I shudder to think What would heartbeat of your pores Whisper to me What would your vibrating bloodstream say What will the relish sacred sanctuary Say to me I speak here of arteries of your heart The mother of all channels Unknown yet known foundation That forms a part of you Specimen that has never spoken to me But, has since I was born spoke a language Of love and offered lessons to be learned Want t speak to the essence of life Sculpture that forms you as an offspring What would your well of wisdom Share with me this time I mean your edifying outer skins mountain of your membrane Soft as your soothing smile And sweet as the sunrays Yet stern as your backbones Bones … bones of bones Built to hold the whole wide world I mean I want to converse with grain Which forms crust of mother earth The core of your existential Nerves that never complained Living tomb that honoured its commitment The genesis of your cavity That remained a noble nurturer Committed to its contract Support veneer that kept on moving Even when it’s the best and worst of times A catalyst that put me to sleep Strong human nature vessel That refused to cow and be conquered The very arable womb of the world Veins that coursed blood of royalty That watched over me around the clock Work itself to a point of weariness Every hour, second and minute Woke at night to hush … hush me Day in and day out Walk amid the storm of trepidation Work at home to keep the fire burning All seasons of the year Work for thankless employers Come rain or shine Walk on thorns and let her skin rip From dawn to dusk to see us through life Like Angels and Gods and Goddesses You Peel your gentle skin for my sake Pull your fragile body apart to satisfy daddy Put hours aside to put me to sleep Promise and keep to your promise Piece by piece tore yourself Planning a better tomorrow Pumping pushing itself to the extreme Never gave up Never gave in Noble nurture Surrender your life Soul with script of stories of pain Told and untold Bearing signatures of Pleasure seen and unseen How do I speak to the breasts? Suckled to a point of no return Yet giving and giving on my demand Because your beautiful figure Has been anything but a workhorse Light to those in search of illumination Happy Women’s Day everyday © 2018 Zanele Mashinini

Damned by Democracy

Mama Winnie Mandela

Mama Winnie

Bra Hugh

Mkhulu Hugh Masikela 'Heaven in You' Heroic Humble Humanitarian Horn' Highest Royalty King of King ... Timed In Out Timed ... 'Time!' Citizen of the continent Global Greatest Gift Born in South Africa Based in Africa Branches to Asia, Australia, America Europe and Everywhere Blowing blowing blowing 'Bring him Home!' Creating consciousness Advocating for equality Share stages with Superstars Rooted on the grassroot Laughing ... Leading ... Learning ... Here today There tomorrow Not here ... not there Kasie King 'Bayajabula!' Castle Crowned colourful character Diminutive in stature Yet daring the draconian system Torchbearer of a tormented And tortured people Leading light of liberation Prophetic Open book Power house Pulse of a People persecuted 'Ha lese le Do Khanna! Exiled Refused to be broken Excommunicated Refused to be beaten Evolved Refuse to back down Married to powerful instrument Like a freedom loving 'terrorist' Is to his Kalashnikov (AK47) weapon Vigilant and on guard awaiting For any eventualities Forever leading from the front Blowing Bombing Barrage of bloody beautiful Ballistic missile beats 'Abangoma' Healing holistically Hitting high notes Hated by apartheid masters Hailed by anti apartheid masses Unwavering ... Standing steadfast For causes of the disenfranchised Educating Through wise witty words Chastise abhorrent system of segregation Explaining Through music and melody plights of the landless Exposing Through no hold barrel beat apartheid brutalities Entertaining Through lethal lyrics and light verses Speaking to Human Rights violation in African And the world over 'Chilese' Enlightening Through performances and protestations Conscietising the dispossessed Engaging Showing middle finger to an oppressive systems Electrifying Agitating for apartheid to END Encyclopedia Rich in language of resistance Emperor of existentialism Echoes ... Footsteps of freedom fighter ... Endorsed Voices of the voiceless Fire ... Condemnation at Colonisation ... Fuel Vanguard of the vanquished ... Face Of Unsung heroes and heroines Cultural cadre Fountain of knowledge Action orientated activist Songs in the beat of life Tempo Call to action ... Struggle Scientist of Songs Sangoma Spirit Sage Smooth speaker Gifted God Sun of the Soil African ambassador Fathered Frequencies of freedom Touched Souls Send souls to trenches Kept hope of freedom alive Trumpeter from the trenches Refused to be silenced by tyrant Regime Radical Rational revolutionary Refused to dance to oppressors' tunes Tracks laced with consciousness Capture emotions Mood Massacres Mayhem Mineworker's Misery Stimela Star of the Ghetto ... Struggle signature songs ... Selfless servant Rebel with a cause ... Committed Commander Performer for Peoples' Power ... Time! Time ... Greatest God of Songs ... Living ... Likeable ... Larger than Life Legend ... Now within legion in the after life ... Sound the spirits Now within timelessness Reverberating rhythmical rendition Now living in the Ancestors' realm Debilitating delicious dance ... 'I wanna be there' 'Thuma mina' 'Send me' Lover of life Leading Liberator Loyal Leader Who never forsaken His post Until the last Martyr Straight talker Brought hope to the hopeless Nurturer of the nation Changing people's causes 'Bayajabula Bonke' Tasteful tunes Telling stories of oppression Ancient Academy Ubuntu University ... Letters of Local dialects 'Tananayi' Language ... Light ... Of resistance ... Beating Pumping ... Drumbeat ... Melody ... Memory ... Music Soothing Songs! Serenading Sound! Thundering Trumpet Sometimes Sweet Sometimes Shooting Sometimes Sour Sometimes Shouting Sometimes Sombre ... Nature's Number Boaboa tree Shadows of Spirits Unshakeable ... ... Unyielding Unapologetic ... Soldier who used his trumpet To spur the masses "Nansi indoda emnyama Verwoed!" A comrade who could blow A trumpet Sing and dance At the same time Time tested activist Who carried his horn With so much bravery And blow his horn like a guerilla Does when releasing Stalin Organ popularly known as a 'Grappe' By freedom fighters You overran an enemy stronghold Unrepentant you wailed Carrying hopes of the hopeless Children of the African Continent Children of the World Wallowing in abject poverty Power house Your Holistic horn will continue to vibrates Throughout the world From China to Cuba Soweto to Sweden Trinidad to Tanzania Haiti to Harlem ... Carrying hopes of the oppressed Like Shuku! Shuku! Train Sending ripple effect From the cavity of Mother earth Commanding Call to action Through medium of music ... 'I wanna be there' 'Thuma Mina' 'Send Me' Anything and everything You spoke through Enchanting trumpet 'Send me! Send me!' Softly evoking Spirits Serenading Like Ancient Ancestors' drums of Shamans Wooop .. Woooh Stimela Mine workers Highest God of Trumpet Consciousness Composer God on Earth God of Earth God in this Earth Living amongst us Within and without Your music mirror mass mobilisation You spoke truth to truth Humourist Humankind Maestro Musician Sharing Singer Bra Hugh Honest homestead Composer Great performance Great stage act Great show Greatest God of all Inspired by Bra Muziwakhe Nhlabatsi (Illustrator), Mkhulu Nume Mashinini (Academic) and Mkhulu Blondie Makhene (Musician)