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https://www.latribunadetoledo.es/noticia/ZED92F6DD-D2E9-13C9-F5CFAAD9903A78D2/201909/de-toledo-a-sudafrica-en-solo-unas-canciones

                                (ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF SPANISH ARTICLE)

FROM: LA TRIBUNA DE TOLEDO

From Toledo to South Africa in just a few songs

Jaime Galán - Sunday, September 29, 2019

Tsidii Le Loka revolutionized the Town Hall Square with a concert that went from less to more. Her great voice and empathy created a cocktail of emotions and good atmosphere that made Toledo enjoy.

Never before have Johannesburg, New York and Toledo been connected in such a short time. And it is Tsidii Le Loka, the protagonist of the night, warned that her tribute to Miriam Makeba would not be old-fashioned, therefore she not only enlarged the figure of the honoree but her own as well, which shone under the watchful eyes of the Cathedral. After a life full of emotional upheavals due to the difficulties of her country (apartheid South Africa), Le Loka found happiness in the United States by creating the character of ‘Rafiki’ for the original edition of the musical ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway. That fame, as an international artist, allowed her to openly express her identification with another South African vocalist, Miriam Makeba, to whom, a decade after Makeba's death, Tsidii pays tribute to at the Toledo International Jazz Festival. Tsidii Le Loka only contemplated admiration for her countrywoman and assured the Toledo public that "Miriam Makeba's music will reach your hearts, just as it reached mine and all the hearts of the universe."

The South African singer tried to start her dialogue with the spectators in Spanish, and even taught them how to greet in her language, but soon this idyll was forgotten. The artist felt much more comfortable offering her speech in English to see and it was well accepted by a sector of the public. Perhaps for many other members of the public the best option would have been to use an interpreter, but they did not give up the march and enjoyed the moment. In fact, Le Loka chose to make a series of word games so that the spectators could accompany her in the course of her songs. An example of this was when she looked for Spanish words similar to the refrain of her song as "un poco", leading to a good result. What at first seemed a utopia to be understood, ended up giving symptoms of unity thanks to her music.

After sixty minutes of the concert, Tsidii Le Loka took a break to give prominence to the rest of her group, those who had Cuban origins, with the exception of the bassist, a native of Zaragoza. They animated the concert during the absence of the vocalist and explained the kilometers accumulated in the last dates, with cities like New York or Brussels, between its route. Tsidii Le Loka returned to the stage having changed her white outfit with black print for a more striking one that combined black with orange. If the concert was going well so far, this second act revolutionized the audience of the square.

This revolution came at a moment of silence when her imminent voice released "the stork ..." to recall the initial song of "The Lion King." The ovation of the public was heard throughout the city, the spectators rose from their seats and enjoyed one of the highest moments of the night. Although the most important was still missing. After drawing the smiles on the face of the audience with this song, the artist put Miriam Makeba's main course on the table, that song that exploited her virtues and those of Le Loka herself to the rhythm of 'Pata Pata', a popular South African folk in the taverns of Johannesburg. The song that expresses the Makeba brand to the fullest and, was performed (by Makeba) on a stage the night the artist (Makeba) died of a heart attack. The song brought joy to the Town Hall Square. Such was the connection between the singer and the audience that ‘Pata Pata’ extended over ten minutes. And nobody cared. After the final success, Tsidii Le Loka ended her show with a dedication to human rights for which Nelson Mandela, and Tsidii's great grandfather (Chief Langalibalele)  fought for with many other South Africans. 

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