Composer, vocalist, and traditional instrumentalist Lu Dlamini will be performing songs from her new album “Gido – a Love Letter to Resilience” at UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music on Wednesday 13 August. This album, which was launched at The Playhouse Company in June 2025, is a tribute to her late mother, Kitomena “Gido” uMakhuzwayo. Her mother’s life lessons are the spiritual backbone of this project.

Lu Dlamini. Picture Supplied

The album encompasses South African Jazz influences blended with sounds of indigenous instruments like the Umakhweyana Bow. It transcends music to become a living archive of love, resilience, and the enduring philosophy of Ubuntu. ‘Gido’ journeys through untold stories and histories, from songs that honour the resilience of South Africa’s “lost generation”, to spiritual invocations calling for peace, unity, and the healing of old wounds. Songs like “Lwaphela Uvalo” and “Gandhi, Shembe, Dube” remind us that history is not a burden, but a bridge, connecting us to a future shaped by compassion and understanding.

This body of work has collaborations with some of South Africa’s finest musical talents, such as Dr Madala Kunene, Steve Newman, Andile Yenana, Qadasi, as well as her own ensemble comprising of guitarist Marius Botha, drummer Riley Giandhari, pianist Zibusiso Makhathini and bassist Ntobeko Shandu. UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is located at Dennis Shepstone Building, Level 2, Howard College Campus. Tickets are sold at R120 for general public, R90 for pensioners and R60 for students with a valid student card. Doors will open at 17h00 and the concert starts at 17h30.