Oroko Radio: loving parents :: Khubalo le nyanga: invites midnightswami

in 2022 i drafted an idea for a graphic novel: a story that ends with a frame of two femme lovers dancing in a shebeen context: a play on themes of memory / nostalgia and history as forces to combat erasure / what it meant to be a black woman + queer body in south africa in the 90s during and post(?) apartheid.

referencing the work of dr bev distie | the way lebo nothembi danced together on stage | 3sum aka queerKwaito | bazali’s tales of rockey street yoeville | shebeen queens | abantu abatwasayo |

i used sounds, textures and fabrications to create characters in this tale of a syncretic energy existing in (and in spite of) brutality.

discussions with naledi on the power of creating work sourced from that which brings out our Hate and anger: the resistance as lived experience: seeped into the style and method of blending in this mix. it felt necessary to include a homage to Tina Bell the godmother of grunge music here-. a black woman pioneer of a sound of radical expression who has been erased from the history of her movement.

2lovaz for khubalo le nyanga is a sonic-form reflection of our conversations as well as a score for scenes+characters in this story. the visuals are sourced from my process in 2022 building this world of historical fictions::: hiiigh vibrational (loFideliiity) —— type beat

featuring field recordings taken on my phone and sourced from youtube:

• Oli Filander: on the first and last day her father saw her in drag, ABFAB Drag Show ArtsCape. 2023
• Dancers on the pavement: Golden Acre Mall, Adderley Street Cape Town. 2025. Moments after the #JusticeForCweCwe protest
• Busi Mhlongo interview by MELT2000: she describes “different types of music”

music from: [in mixing order]

Tongue in the Mind | Sonic Youth | Tygapaw | Moses Taiwa Molelekwa & Malinkandi & Jazzman | Emptyset | Björk | Liv.e | Ms Party x Lady Du x Josiah De Disciple | Kelela & Massacooramaan | Ziahfyah | Blacksea Nao Maya | Nkisi | Suthukazi Arosi | Bam Bam | Lost Girls: Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden | Lauren Duffus | Inga Copleland | Chino Amobi | Ase Manual | SXYLK | DJ Spinn & DJ Manny | Zinja Hlungwani | Flying Lotus | Nakhane | BABYXSOSA x Neana

With Guest: Born in Johannesburg, bred in Cape Town and now based in South London, ‘midnightswami’ is the DJ pseudonym for multi-disciplinary artist/curator, designer and DJ Thenjiwe Nxumalo-Parsley. A non-believer in the idea of genre, and an advocate for the origins of electronic music in Afrika, their mixes weave between melodic soulful energies and darker booty-shaking basslines. They are the founder of jonga⭒sani, a mixed-media archive and online radio station uplifting the contributions of diasporic femmes & queers to culture, art, music and nightlife. They are currently pursuing a degree in curatorial practice at Central Saint Martins.