Mrs Yekani

“Nogcinile Yekani had great expertise in the Umrhubhe. Her whistling technique proved to be much more developed; she could produce two complete melodies simultaneously in a very special type of polyphony” (Dave Dargie 2001)

Mrs Yekani is an established Umrhubhe specialist from the Ngqoko area of the Eastern Cape. She came to prominence as Umrhubhe player in the 1990s and joined the famed Ngqoko Group in the middle 1990s.

Her talent as a specialist of the Umrhubhe whistling song for the Ngqoko group was very valuable, she was also a teacher of the instrument and played duet performances with her students in the group.

(CD notes: Umrhubhe wemimangaliso).

Reference:

Dargie, D., 2011. The Xhosa Umrhubhe mouthbow: An extraordinary musical instrument. Journal of International Library of African Music, Vol 9 issue 1, 1 – 23.