Every country has its indigenous or folk music, and the Samis in the Arctic regions of Norway, has songs that appeal to the souls of humanity and are universally appreciated.

On Wednesday November 25, a fusion of Norwegian/Sami and South African music will be performed at The Assembly on 61 Harrington Street, Cape Town.

Mari Boine has recently released a new album Sterna Paradisea featuring local South African artists Madosini and the Abaqondisi Brothers, and will now perform live on stage in collaboration with the artists.

Mari Boine's vocal interpretation of her Sami ancestors’ language is what has earned Mari the right to be called a renowned figure in world music. Mari will be performing in Cape Town during the State Visit by their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway to South Africa 24-26 November.

Coming from a minority group in Norway, Boine has sought to celebrate their traditions while bringing it to a wider audience. A symbiosis of sound combined with cultural expression has made her music hard to classify, and has as a result been labelled with the generic term 'world music'.

Mari's music is often described as unearthly, otherworldly and a place of retreat, while simultaneously being closely connected to the world and resonating deeply with the Arctic nature and culture in which she grew up. It is also described as timeless, and yet very much of the moment, using elements from both Sami traditional folk music and contemporary jazz, rock, electronica and other musical forms.

Madosini is popularly called 'The Veteran' and 'the Queen of Pondoland music', and is widely recognised as a great musician, composer, story teller and dancer. Although she is primarily a solo musician and story-teller, she is particularly well-known for her mastery of the Uhadi (berimbau), the Isitololo (Jewish Harp), and the Umrhubhe (mouthbow), which are sounds she adds in collaborations with other groups. Madosini has been a regular member of Amampondo, has cooperated with Thandiswa Mazwai on both film and music, and has been part of DZM projects as well as the multi-cultural jazz ensemble PedXulu. Like Mari Boine, her music has roots in traditional music and is strongly associated with the open skies and nature of her family home in Pondoland, Eastern Cape.

Abaqondisi Brothers, which means Brothers of Understanding, like Madosini, are based in the Western Cape, but perform around South Africa and elsewhere in the world. A 12 member acapella group that is often compared with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but which has forged their own unique harmony structures in various languages and styles.

Ticket available at the venue or from Web Tickets
Cost: R40
Doors open at: 8.30pm

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