ABIGAIL KUBEKA

In her soothing voice and her halting delivery on stage, Ms Kubeka is known to have a warmer presence that she has carried throughout a career spanning over more than six decades. From a young age, she showed interest in being a performer even when the odds — that being the apartheid regime— were against her.

Growing up in one of the biggest South African townships Soweto, Orlando East, Ms Kubeka has been a staple on the big screens, tv screens and stages. Like any other child in South Africa during the apartheid era, her parents wanted her to become a nurse but of course she followed her calling and became the most iconic performer of our time.

Ms Kubeka regards being an artist similar to calling a spiritual calling. “I had a burning passion inside me and when you have a calling, there’s nothing more to do than to answer that calling,” she says. It’s been said one too many times that all successful artists have followed a similar journey, comprising four stages: the struggle, the stratospheric rise, the crash, and then the renaissance.

We speak to Ms Kubeka about the tectonic changes happening in the entertainment industry and how she has navigated through it all.

Before Breaking into The Entertainment Industry

Barely in her twenties, at the age of 16 she joined a group called Skylarks ensemble which comprised of the iconic Mammy Girl Nketle, Miriam Makeba and Mary Rabotata. Though a career in entertainment was considered ratchet, they still persuaded it. In an era where Black women were continuously bombarded with European aesthetic measures, Kubeka says that she used to listen to the records of Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and they would try to replicate their style. “We would go to bioskops and watch how they would hone their craft and we’d practice because a part of us always thought they were the epitome of music and entertainment,” she says. One can only imagine how difficult it was for a black woman to break into the entertainment industry and have a lifelong career.

The historical adage, “being Black means you have to work twice as hard to be half as good” applied to Kubeka’s life. She wasn’t relying on drugs and alcohol just like half the entertainment industry and that alone curtailed her chances of getting recording deals. “Patriarchy is not something new. During those times, we knew that in order for us to get those recording sessions, we had to be nice to the boys.

That was the norm. For a person like me who didn’t get influenced by alcohol and drugs, who wasn’t easily manipulated—

I was thus considered an outcast. The doors were shut on my face mostly because of that.” This was a driving force behind her choice in doing live performances and being on the stage was and still is her happy place. Working outside the mainstream of the major labels and charts,

Six Decades Of Her Music Journey

Turning 84 in December 2023, she recalls her earliest memory where she performed for the first time in the 60s. “Being an artist was hard.

There was so much oppression to a point wherein you’d go perform at a certain venue and end up sleeping in jail cells because black people were not allowed to be in the city in certain hours.

I was performing in Lesotho. There was a music festival where they brought international artists and as I was on stage performing, I was backed by jazz professors from Rutgers and Monk Montgomery who was a pioneer American jazz bassist,”

Ms Kubeka says with a voice filled with so much warmth as though reliving the moment. That was a defining moment for her in her career. “We fought through music.

Our voices were our weapons,” she continues. Kubeka says that it’s a pity that there was little to no access for cameras to capture those moments back then.

Her dedication to her craft has been unwavering, even when the road ahead wasn’t guaranteed.

Best known for her songs such as Wenyuk’ umbombela, Sebaka Nyana, she speaks fondly of the people who helped build her career including the late Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masikela, Dorothy Masuku, Thandi Klassen, Dolly Rathebe and more.

Of course, as a singer and songwriter, she has toured many countries in Africa and has performed in many prestigious cabarets, but she always returns home.

From performing in over packed township halls to performing on international stages, she says the secret to her success is staying true to herself through it all. “There is so much potential in this entertainment industry.

I believe that with unity there’s so much that can be achieved. Yes, we can be different in many ways but that doesn’t mean we can’t build together.” Kubeka recalls when she was doing a masterclass in the United States of America about art as a whole in Africa and how there’s sadly very limited access to such.

Abigail speaks to us about the adaptation of one of her songs Sebaka Nyana by Malaika from the album Malaikathat was released in October 2003. “Art is a powerful tool that needs to rotate even in different formats.

You can take a gospel song and jazz it up. I was excited when I was approached by Malaika to remake the song.

The thing about music is that even when are telling the same story, we get to tell it in different ways just like people interpret it in different ways when they listen to it.” Kubeka says art was never meant to sit in one place, the evolution of it is what makes it all ideal.

Her on-screen performances and off-screen words of wisdom have inspired several generations. In 1995, the veteran singer performed a few of her songs while the Queen of England visited South Africa. She gave a soul bearing performance, a testament to her robust skill and her longevity as a musician.

Kubeka isn’t just a singer but an outstanding actress as well. An excellent storyteller, she received widespread acclaim for her roles in King Kong, Cry The Beloved Country, Queen Sono, Generations The Lagacy and many more. “I love what I do and I don’t see myself doing anything else.

God gave me a gift— I never went to school to learn the technical side of it and there was not much room for growth back in the day but I still use God’s gift to my fullest potential.”

The award-winning actor has dedicated her life not just to her career but to changing the narrative of the types of roles black modern women could play.

Time and time again, she has put our humanity on display, never compromising her values while creating a new chapter in black history.

Abigail Kubeka is a true renaissance woman, known not just for her work ethic but her beauty and her presence on and off-screen.

At this point in her long career, Abigail Kubeka would seem to have exhausted all her abilities to surprise us but her work here is nothing short of remarkable and one to remember and she’s still going.

At the age of 83 she’s currently playing Zondiwe Mogale on SABC1 on the soapie Generations The Legacy and she speaks to us briefly about working with the Generations The Legacy cast and production crew.

“They are really amazing to work with. The dedication they show to their craft is groundbreaking and I’m happy I get to share my passion and dedication with every one of them.”

The veteran actress is still full of life and energy, her mesmerizing performances and her way of portraying characters to life is commendable.

On and off screen, Abigail Kubeka is an enduring picture of style, a star who loves art and indulges in beauty often carrying herself elegantly.

“I still get the same feeling I got when I was performing back in the days. I’ve kept my audience and given the chance to go back, I’d do it again and again,” the multi talented singer says and laughs smoothly.

Well, it has to be said that we still want her on stage to quench our thirst with her iconic performances! Ms Abigail highlights the most important value to longevity.

That being the importance of Ubuntu, loosely translating to humanity. Ms Kubeka dismantles the term ‘individuality’.

She is a strongly puts emphasis on unity, saying “when there’s unity, there’s always victory.” If this isn’t a definition of Black Excellence, I don’t know what is!