Change the world

12/12/2022

“Hooked on Gqom: An ethnographic study of a contemporary urban youth musical identity in South Africa” is the title of Ngasiirwe Katushabe, Madibaz Radio’s technical manager.
Ngasii will receive his Master’s in Music degree on 12 December at Nelson Mandela University’s graduation ceremony. 
 
He believes the value of his research lies in the study defining the electronic dance music genre through discussions of its soundscape, its choreography, and the theme of the identities of its practitioners and listeners in relation to the music and overall movement. It also “adds to the roaring wave the decolonisation of our education system by adding a black South African voice discussing a black South Africa art form”, he says.  
 
Ngasii is well-known for his photograph, a Facebook screenshot of his graduation in April 2019, that has been used widely on the University’s sites. It shows his “expression of immense joy (not to mention showed off one of my signature performance moves) having made it to the other side of blind endurance and tenacious perseverance that awarded me my second qualification”, his Bachelor’s degree in Music. My “vosho”(dance move) in the photo not only symbolised but foreshadowed the topic of my Masters in Music Research dissertation – Gqom! 
 
Since 2019, I have documented my journey through my Instagram handle @ngasiirwe, my Twitter account @Ngasii_, and my YouTube channel TYHN (pronounced “tyhini” or “chin”), which through the years has garnered more than 20 000 subscribers and over 1 million views. 
This was partly because of his video The Power of Jerusalema where he provided a musical and lyrical breakdown of the global sensation Jerusalema by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode. 
 
At the same time, he has also done remarkable work within the music industry getting to collaborate numerous times with multi-award winning DJ and Producer Prince Kaybee on songs such as Sondela, Love Song and Sambe Siyo Jola, which he wrote and performed, as well as writing songs with Amapiano superstar Sir Trill and Songcatcher Msaki for Prince Kaybee’s 2020 album Project Hope (Season 1).
 
“I am singer-songwriter and online personality originally from the humble town of Cala, Eastern Cape and I am proud to call the wonderful windy city of Gqeberha home”, says Ngasii, who enrolled in 2014 for a Diploma in Music as his high school did not offer Music as a subject. This course was the perfect gateway into getting a chance to one day get a Bachelor’s in Music. 
 
“My dream was to hone my craft and sharpen my skills in singing and performing to one day become one of South Africa’s greatest musicians”, Ngasii says who graduated his Diploma cum laude and went on to his Bachelor’s degree in Music. 
 
During his undergraduate years he had the privilege of performing as part of the Nelson Mandela University Choir under the leadership of Junita van Dijk travelling across the globe as well as performing for high profile persons, including Mr Thabo Mbeki and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa respectively. 
 
He also formed part of the TwoTone band, which has performed at events such as the 2016 Diva Spring Concert, backing up singers Lira and Judith Sephuma, and the 2017 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival, along the likes of South African legends Abdullah Ibrahim and Caiphus Semenya.
 
Since 2015 Ngasii found a home in Mandela University’s online campus radio station, Madibaz Radio, working a multitude of roles from music compiler and presenter to managers of the music and technical department. 
 
 

Contact information
Ms Elma de Koker
Internal Communication Practitioner
Tel: 041-504 2160
elma.dekoker@mandela.ac.za