I was born in 1999, a few years after Boom Shaka had already shaken South Africa with their music, their style, and their fearless energy. By the time I was old enough to start paying attention, Lebo Mathosa was already a legend, more myth than memory. I didn’t grow up with their hits playing on the radio every day, but there was one song that always seemed to find me: “It’s About Time.”
I first knew it through the dance. Everyone older than me seemed to know it instinctively, their bodies moving to the beat like it was second nature. I’d watch family members, neighbours, even strangers at gatherings break into it whenever the track came on. For me, that’s how Boom Shaka’s legacy arrived, not as something I lived, but as something passed down.
So when they were honoured with the Legacy Act Award at this year’s Basha Uhuru Sounds of Freedom Festival, it felt like the closing of a circle. The award wasn’t just about music; it was about everything they represented: freedom, boldness, and the energy of a new South Africa. The festival also paid tribute to Lebo Mathosa, a reminder that even though she’s no longer here, her spirit still shapes how we sing, dance, and dress today.
When “It’s About Time” came on, I finally understood what the older generation had always tried to show me. The crowd lit up. People who had lived through the song’s first wave jumped into the dance like no years had passed at all. And I found myself moving with them, bridging the gap between what I had inherited and what I was living in that moment. It wasn’t nostalgia for me, it was discovery. Yet somehow, we were all connected, past and present beating together in the same rhythm.
That’s the magic of Basha Uhuru. It’s not just a festival; it’s a reminder of who we are, where we’ve been, and what we carry forward. For those of us who only caught onto the Boom Shaka wave later, this was a chance to feel their impact in real time. For those who were there from the start, it was a chance to relive a golden memory.
And for all of us, when the dance took over, it was proof that heritage isn’t something you keep in a museum or a history book. It’s alive. It’s in our bodies, our music, our freedom. At Basha Uhuru, Boom Shaka didn’t just perform. They reminded us that we are all part of their story.
