Friday is a Feeling | Celebrating 30 years of Boom Shaka and choosing love

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Fri 17 Mar   I write this the night after hearing of Gloria Bosman’s death at the unbelievable age of 50. Just a couple of days before, AKA’s protege and upcoming amapiano star Costa Titch died shortly after collapsing on stage during a performance at the Ultra Music Festival in Joburg. This is only a couple of weeks after we had to adjust to the unfathomable reality of losing AKA, one of the best rappers to ever walk this land. And these are just a few of the people who’ve died this year. It’s become increasingly difficult to deal with the grief and incessant loss. As they say on Twitter, “Kuningi” (It’s a lot). Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of watching the incomparable Simphiwe Dana in her Mpumi Ntintili-Sinxoto-styled and Gregory Maqoma-choreographed uMoya performance at the Joburg Theatre. During the performance, dedicated to the memory of her mom, Dana sang with a grief so deep that when she performed iNkwenkwezi, a woman started sobbing so audibly that singer Zoe Modiga had to reach out and comfort her. Hearing her cry reminded me of how Dana’s music had helped me work through my own grief. Her last song of the performance, Mayine, broke me open when it first came out. I remember nights, days, holidays, birthdays and many other special days when I cried, wishing my dad was still alive. I was glad to release those emotions but I was reminded of how short life is through the music. Today, I’m alive. I have a mother, a brother, a sister and a niece; I have friends who love me from New York to Namibia. But tomorrow, all that could be gone. Even one special person being taken away from me could shatter my world into a thousand little pieces but I believe that’s the trade-off we make when we decide to choose life. Because choosing life, invariably means choosing love. And I love Boom Shaka, and this week the Friday Section of the Mail & Guardian chooses to celebrate their 30 years in our lives – having begun that journey in Hillbrow. This is my first contribution to the Mail & Guardian morning newsletter, and readers should expect it every Friday. In the future we would like to launch a newsletter for Friday — a 26 year old arts and culture publication. Show us your interest by signing up [here](. Lerato Tshabalala | Friday Editor [@LeratoTJ]( [Nehawu-led public sector strike at an end, bargaining council says]( Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association has turned down the government’s 7% salary raise proposal, saying it does not account for the soaring cost of living [// Read more]( Articles labelled as Premium are only available to subscribers. [CLICK HERE]( to subscribe Already a subscriber? 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[// Read more]( Pic of the day PARIS, FRANCE – March 16: Eiffel Tower is seen while protesters set fire as clashes take place with riot police during a demonstration against French government’s plan to raise the legal retirement age in Paris, on March 16, 2023. (Photo by Firas Abdullah/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa