The Order of Ikhamanga in Gold

Princess Constance Magogo Sibilile Mantithi Ngangezinye Ka Dinizulu (1900 - 1984) Awarded for:

A life of prolific musical composition, and outstanding contribution to the preservation and development of traditional music in South Africa.

Profile of Princess Constance Magogo Sibilile Mantithi Ngangezinye Ka Dinizulu

Princess Magogo ka Dinizulu was a member of the royal family and attended school at Mahlabatini.

She was a keen observer and upholder of Zulu culture and tradition.

Princess Magogo was regarded as an authority on Zulu music and is remembered as one of Africa’s greatest composers, musicians and singers. Her talents received a wider audience in 1939, when the late Dr Hugh Tracey made a number of recordings of her performances. She later recorded with the SABC and West German Radio, among others.

Her vast repertoire of solo vocal works included not only traditional songs dating from the time of King Shaka in the early 19th century, but also her own original compositions sung in traditional style.

Through the training of scores of young singers, she also made an unequaled contribution to the preservation of traditional music and musical development in South Africa. Her original songs constitute a significant addition to the corpus of traditional Zulu music.

Princess Magogo’s music remains as compelling now as it was during her lifetime.