The New Yorker

How Far Can Amapiano Go?

It was opening night at the Brooklyn Mirage, a seasonal night club in East Williamsburg. In the main area, about five thousand people were bobbing and waving along with an English d.j. named Chris ...
The Conversation

Amapiano Awards: South Africa’s dance music scene spreads its joy across the world

Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town Amapiano is a soulful mix of grooves, sonic textures and moods that can be by turns hectic, smooth, melodic or ...
The New York Times

Using Dance to Provoke, Delight and Tell South Africa’s Stories

Growing up in a Black township, Vusi Mdoyi found a sprinkle of joy under apartheid in a street-dancing style known as pantsula. As a choreographer, he has elevated it into high art, injected with ...
Rolling Stone

Inside the Rise of Amapiano, the Genre That’s Taking Over South Africa and Coming to a Dance Floor Near You

This piece originally appeared as part of Rolling Stone’s annual Hot List, in the July-August issue of the magazine. At Afropunk’s 2019 New Year’s Eve festival in South Africa, DJ Moma was scheduled ...
Rolling Stone

How South Africa’s ‘Jerusalema’ Became a Global Hit Without Ever Having to Be Translated

Just around 10 million people speak isiZulu, a language out of South Africa. So how did a song in the little-known dialect become a hit with billions of people around the world? The song in question ...