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CSM Gecko Publishing

Sankomota: An Ode in One Album, by Phehello J. Mofokeng

Sankomota: An Ode in One Album, by Phehello J. Mofokeng

R 250.00 ZAR
R 250.00 ZAR
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Sankomota: An Ode in One Album – A Reflective Essay is the result of many years of research and obsession about the music and band of Sankomota. The book is a slim offering that offers insights into the first album ever recorded in Lesotho, Sankomota by the band Sankomota. Recorded in 1983, this album became an instant classic. Mofokeng’s essay touches on mythology, performance, language and politics of this important band that was at the frontier of anti-apartheid and freedom music. In this essay Mofokeng attempts to paint a broad image of the musical landscape of the time and unveil the musical obsessions of Sankomota. This book is not definitive, but it is a worthwhile addition to the body of literature and to an ethno-musical understanding of SA’s musical history.“I think it is impossible to write a complete book on a titanic band such as Sankomota. ‘An Ode in One Album’ is important, but it is still only introductory. I hope it will open the gates to a broader discussion and deeper understanding of our history, but from a musical point of view,” said Mofokeng.An Ode in One Album analyses the first album of Sankomota, a body of work that Mofokeng calls “seminal” and a “classic”. Mofokeng said that the book sought to set aside a few myths about Sankomota, including the intricate association of Sankomota to Ts’epo Ts’ola and the possibility that this was the first album ever recorded in Lesotho. By untangling the deep language used by the band in this first album, Mofokeng offers a fresh perspective on one of the most underrated and under-appreciated music icons of the continent. This book places Sankomota – the band and the album – on the musical timeline and somewhere close to the apex of musical contributions. An Ode in One Album also offers a more approximate location and placement of Sankomota in musical canon. Unpretentious, clear and concise, Mofokeng’s writing is neither academic nor pedestrian – instead, he balances the two quiet well to ensure that he accommodates all and sundry.“Mofokeng approaches the life and music of his compatriots and one of southern Africa’s iconic groups Sakomonta with a familiarity and vividness of accounts, only an articulate connoisseur of our region’s music can muster. He writes with a language and spirit that is non-pretentious and convivial in equal measure. A labour of love for his people and this continent’s cultural riches, Mofokeng’s book thus retains the poetic presence that both the Lesotho landscape and its people have always possessed.
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