South African musician revives ancestral harp tradition
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In South Africa, musician Asakhe Cuntsulana is working to preserve the musical traditions of the amaXhosa community by reviving the uHadi, a traditional bow harp.
Asakhe combines musical performance with research, storytelling, and community engagement to ensure the instrument and its associated knowledge are passed on to future generations. He founded IThala leAfrika to promote African arts, literature, and the concept of Ubuntu, a philosophy emphasizing community and humanity.
Asakhe’s project, Ingoma yoHadi (Song of the Harp), blends the sounds of the uHadi with the Adungu, a traditional harp from Uganda, fostering a pan-African exchange of musical traditions. The initiative will produce a music album and a book documenting the instruments’ histories, playing techniques, and cultural significance. Through workshops, multimedia materials, and public engagements, Asakhe aims to create a living archive that shares Indigenous knowledge within communities and with broader audiences.
He believes this approach allows tradition to evolve while remaining rooted in its cultural origins, offering younger generations a chance to connect with their heritage through creative expression and direct experience.
