A musician and storyteller, Madosini Latozi Mpahleni is an undisputed Queen: the great musician, composer, storyteller and dancer of her time. Her music is extraordinary; unique not just in its scope, but in its variety and the range of feelings it evokes.

‘Madosini’ is a name given to women from the Dosini royal clan of amaMpondomise. The Dosini people are descendants of the son of King Ngwinya and his wife in the Great House, uNdlunkulu, umaNgutyana. His descendants kept his name and to this day are known as Dosini.(referring to male descendants) and Madosini ( referring to female descendants). As such our Queen of indigenous Xhosa Music Latozi Mpahleni is known as Madosini Manqina,

Madosini is best known for playing traditional South African instruments such as the uhadi, umrhube and isitolotolo. She has been lauded for her preservation of isiXhosa culture through her music.

After recording works in the 1970s, Madosini took a break from the music industry and returned in 1998 with her solo album Power to the Women under Melt2000. She has since toured the globe with Amampondo and her music featured in multiple films and documentaries, In 2008 she was the first person to be recorded and documented for the WOMAD festival’s Music Elders Archives project.

Madosini presently lives and works in Langa township, Cape Town.

 References:

Xhosa Culture. 2020. Madosini Manqina. [ONLINE] Available at: http://xhosaculture.co.za/xhosa-music/madosini-manqina/. [Accessed 13 April 2020].