…malifezeke… by iPhupho L’ka Biko

iPhupho L’ka Biko is a Johannesburg-based Pan Africanist band. The collective was formed in 2015 by bassist and composer Nhlanhla Ngqaqu. He met the members of the band in Braamfontein, where they frequently interacted through school ensembles, jam sessions, and circular live music venues. iPhupho L’ka Biko directly translates to “Biko’s Dream” in isiXhosa, in the case of the band ‘iPhupho’ alludes to God as the provider and fulfiller of dreams, while ‘Biko’ refers to the noble course that Bantu Biko stood for, which is self-love and self-determination of the marginalized people globally. Through music, iPhupho L’ka Biko aims to conscientize and spiritually awaken the human race. The collective explores themes such as spirituality, ritual, tradition, culture, religion, origins, race, and displacement. Undefined by genre, the band fuse jazz with indigenous African music of imvumane and igwijo, for those who have been to a live iPhupho show it is a coming together in healing, love, prayer, unity, history, and the revolution.