At age 86, you'd expect Mantombi Matoyiyana to sit quietly at home and take things easy, but she had other plans. She decided to release her own solo album, 'Song of Greeting, Healing and Heritage'. What an inspiration.
Mantombi Matoyiyana proudly released her debut album, Song of Greeting, Healing and Heritage, at Cape Town's Methodist Church hall. That alone is something for her to be proud of, but take into consideration her age and this achievement becomes so much more inspiring. She might not be a spring chicken anymore, but she's got a lot of lead in her pipes still.
As reported by The Daily Sun, Mantombi didn't let her age stop her from sharing her musical talents with the world. Briefly.co.za gathered that she started singing when she was still very young. I used to sing while people were enjoying their traditional beer, not knowing that one day I could release an album. Mantombi says that her songs are about heritage and healing. It’s important to be proud of your roots and that’s exactly what I’m doing with this album.
On the album, Gogo Mantombi can be heard playing the uhadi, a traditional bowstring, and the umrhubhe, a mouth bow. Before she got into music on a professional level, the gogo sold traditional beer for a living. I never went to school and I used to make a living selling traditional beer. I then met my manager, who helped me start a music career.
She is proud to share her music with the world and hopes to leave something behind that people will remember. I thank God and my ancestors for this because even though I have a short time in this world, I will leave something behind for people to remember me. The gogo even travelled around the globe to share her talent with others. What an inspirational woman.
