Soweto, South Africa, was the largest Black city in the country during apartheid.
Underserved. Oppressed. Unheard.
From that came a way to use their voices for unity, and the Soweto Gospel Choir has brought South African music to the world for decades.
"We give people our roots where we come from," explained Choir Master Shimmy Jiyane. "We teach people what South Africa is all about in terms of the different cultures that we have."
"So you must expect to be dazzled by the singing, the dancing, the drumming, and the harmonies that come within," he explained. "And also to be revived, you know, to give you that other spirit of positive energy."
The musicians blend traditional South African music, spirituals, and American popular music — singing in English and several South African languages.
"Everybody in the choir represents each and every tribe in South Africa. So when we sing in those tribes, and we sing in those languages, we try to teach people that this is who we are, this is how we sound," said Jiyane.
"Music is food for the soul. It brings people together. No matter which color, it brings people together," he added.
"It brings people together to such an extent that you must remember that in South Africa, while we were in the dark before Nelson Mandela was released, while we were fighting apartheid, music was one thing that kept us going. Music was one thing that said to us, 'There is a light at the end of the tunnel.' We sang songs that uplifted us. We sang songs that gave us hope. We sang songs that said, 'Your time is coming'. And that's why we are here today."
Music played a very, very important role in South African democracy and everything," he added.
The choir has achieved multiple awards, including three Grammys and an Oscar nomination; they’ve performed for Oprah, for multiple world leaders, including Barack Obama, and, of course, for Nelson Mandela.
"This [unity] is what Nelson Mandela spoke about," said Jiyane. "This is what Nelson Mandela dreamt about. The man never came out of jail just to come and just dictate. But the man came with an idea, and the man came with a vision. The vision was to unite the South Africans. He never said, I'm gonna hit back. I'm gonna hate on this, and he said, I'm not sending anybody home. My office will stay the way it is. It will be mixed. That's the rainbow that Nelson Mandela was building."
"And when we get on that stage, we represent that and give people that picture that this is who we are, this is what you hear. And you will see the emotions throughout the show. You will see the happiness. You will see the peace that's within us when we sing songs of joy. But when you sing the songs of rebellion songs that we sing, you will see the anger in it, and you will see the emotions that come," he said.
Soweto Gospel Choir’s Peace is at the Fred Kavli Theater in Thousand Oaks on December 11, 2025.
