Singer and songwriter Ginger Mokolopeng (44) hopes to reunite Africans and create awareness of the indigenous language with the recent release of his debut single, titled Dumela Afrika.
The song calls Africans to retrospection and to return to African ways of unity, sharing positivity and love without being influenced by the world.
In the intro, the first sounds are drums, hats, the lead guitar and bass guitar, followed by Setswana vocals. The music is later stacked up by backing vocals of Thapelo Zikhali and Mbuti Moloi to support the main vocalist with beautiful melodic harmonies.
“The song was inspired by xenophobic attacks and calls for an end to xenophobia and Afrophobia. It calls for African unity, reformation or renaissance, and for Africans to love and be proud of their continent,” he said.
Ginger starts the song by greeting all Africans who live on the continent and love it, and endorses them to defend the continent so it can never be taken from Africans.
He worked on the song with record producer Phosoko Magalene, who described his music as African folk that infuses African rhythm with indigenous language to raise awareness.
Ginger says he aspires to celebrate Africanism, Ubuntu and unity among Africans with this piece of electrifying music.
Ginger is originally from the Northern Cape, from a village called Batlharos. He moved to Basotho Section, Thokoza in 2002.
On his arrival he joined the Thokoza Police Choir. However, his love for music dates back to his schooling days.
“My love and passion for music started while I was still in primary school. A large part of my interest in music was influenced by my father who introduced me to all genres, including jazz, reggae, RnB, and classical music.
“It wasn’t until I became part of the Roman Catholic Church choir that I discovered my unique vocal dynamics, and from there developed an interest in choral music,” said Ginger.
After completing matric, his late father, Herbert, inspired him to pursue his studies in classical music at Fuba School of Music, where he majored in vocals.
In 2006, through the support of his parents, he furthered his studies in classical music at the Royal School of Music in London, where he obtained his degrees in music and theory.
Another skill he has acquired in the music business is playing the trumpet as a second instrument.
He continuously explores various spaces in the music fraternity to better his craft. He recently attended the Music Africa workshop held in Johannesburg, conducted by esteemed African musicians.
Over the years, he has performed in numerous music festivals as a soloist, including the Alberton Eisteddfod, Thokoza Police Choristers Festival, African Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, and the Sowetan National Choir.
In 2016, he was part of Gauteng Opera as one of the choristers and an assistant conductor of the Cantary Children’s Choir.
The 44-year-old musician is a husband and a father of two beautiful daughters. He received support and mentorship from Tsietsi Mofokeng and Ida Strydom.
Music lovers can download or stream his latest single Dumela Afrika on all digital stores, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.
For more information about future music releases or booking contact Ginger on 082 652 8200, or email at gg.mokolopeng@gmail.com. Alternatively, follow him on Facebook @Ginger Mokolopeng.
