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Renowned troubadour, Mamadou Diabaté to headline Unisa's African Music Festival

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1st Unisa African Music Festival 2025

The award-winning and globally travelled Diabaté, accompanied by his band, Percussion Mania, will be part of this two-day festival that will celebrate the rich diversity of African music, featuring other outstanding artists from across the African continent. Attendees are guaranteed two evenings of rhythm and culture from the vibrant sounds of marimbas, balafons, bows, other traditional African percussion and string instruments.

The line up of artists over the two-day period is as follows :


Friday 26 September 2025

  • Dizu Zungula Mzikantu Plaatjies (South Africa - Traditional African Bows)
  • Cara Stacey, Mpho Molikeng, Sazi Dlamini and Evans Netshivhambe (Bows of Southern Africa)
  • Adilia Yip, Balafon (Burkina Faso/Belgium) and Concert Marimba
  • Mark Stone, Gyil (Ghana/USA)
  • Bronwen Clacherty and Keketso Bolofo (African Marimbas)


Saturday 27 September 2025

  • Mamadou Diabaté & Percussion Mania (Burkina Faso/Austria)
  • Buganda Music Ensemble (Uganda)
  • Thandeka Mfinyongo Band (South Africa)
  • Chopi Timbila Orchestra (Mozambique)

The two concerts, championed by Unisa’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Puleng LenkaBula, takes place at the height of Heritage Month celebrations taking place across the length and breadth of South Africa. Its occurrence at this exact period is aligned with and complements the objectives of the Heritage Month – to "celebrate the rich tapestry of our diverse cultures, traditions, languages, music and cuisine".

It is also a precursor to another important brainchild of Prof LenkaBula, the Unisa Vice-Chancellor’s Concert, which is held annually to showcase the many facets of music at Unisa, including its national and international music and voice competitions as well as the Unisa Music Foundation’s outreach programmes.

The 2025 Unisa Vice-Chancellor’s Concert will take place on Saturday 4 October 2025, also at the Muckleneuk Campus in Tshwane. It will feature iconic South African singers Simphiwe Dana and Phumeza Matshikiza, and concert pianist Megan Geoffrey-Prins, accompanied by the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO), conducted by renowned conductor, Maestro Daniel Boico (Former Music Director and Chief Conductor of the MÁV Budapest Symphony Orchestra). Attendance is strictly by invitation.

"The affirmation and celebration of Africa music is testimony that our institution’s mission of Reclaiming Africa’s Intellectual Futures transcends the university’s core business of teaching and learning, research and engaged scholarship. It demonstrates that Indigenous Knowledge Systems, including music, folklore, African histories/herstories and all other traditions and practices, which have been marginalised for the longest time, are an integral part of our reclamation mission," said Prof Puleng LenkaBula.      

*Complied by the Department of Institutional Advancement

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Publish date: 2025-09-25 00:00:00.0

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