The Sankofa Heritage Festival, founded by musician and cultural activist Thandiswa Mazwai, has announced Grammy-nominated artist Somi (Rwanda/Uganda) and acclaimed South African musician Msaki as co-headliners for its inaugural edition.
Birthday celebration
Taking place on Saturday, 28 February 2026, at Carnival City, the Sankofa Heritage Festival marks Thandiswa Mazwai’s 50th birthday and 30 years in the music industry, while launching what is set to become an annual cultural gathering celebrating African heritage and artistic legacy.
Regarding the line up, Mazwai says “I am so excited to have my dear friends Somi and Msaki as co-headliners for the inaugural year of Sankofa Fest".
“They have been very dear sisters to me for many years, and we have been appearing at each other’s events all over the world. Somi is a Rwandan/Ugandan musician who centres archives in her work, and we have worked together on her album dedicated to Miriam Makeba. Msaki is more than a musician — she is a cultural worker who has activated many young artists’ careers. For Sankofa Fest, she will be appearing with an ensemble that includes artists from Sudan and Kenya.”
A return to Johannesburg
For Somi "Returning to Johannesburg to perform at Thandiswa Mazwai’s Sankofa Festival feels deeply personal. Thandiswa is not only a towering artist, but a dear sister whose strength, sonic imagination, and uncompromising commitment to Africa's past and future always keep me inspired. To be a part of the first iteration of a festival she has dreamed into being — grounded in memory, return, and forward motion — is an honor. Marking my first appearance in South Africa in four years, in the company of my sister and friend, makes this return to Johannesburg, and this moment of reunion, especially meaningful."
Somi is a vocalist, composer, actor, and playwright, and the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda. Her fifth studio album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, is a companion project to the critically acclaimed original musical Dreaming Zenzile, which Somi wrote and starred in Off-Broadway as a tribute to Miriam Makeba. She is a recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award, two NAACP Image Awards for Best Vocal Jazz Album, and the inaugural Jazz Music Award for Best Vocal Performance
Msaki is a composer, singer, songwriter, curator, and visual artist. A South African Music Award winning musician, she contributed as a writer, composer, and artist to Black Coffee’s Grammy Award–winning album. She was named the 2022 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Music and is part of the 2025 South African Pavilion at the Venice BiennaleAs headliner and curator, Mazwai will also be joined by additional guest artists during her performance, with further names to be announced in due course.
