sankofa, sankofa
When the new year started and King Tha still didn’t have a social media page specifically for her Sankofa Heritage Festival, I tried to get her attention so that I could jump onto it and be part of the team that sets their digital presence up - via DMs, tagging her on my stories, and email.
It did not work.
But it seems a social media presence is nothing compared to King Tha’s legacy. Instagram algorithms have nothing on thirty years of real impact and influence on the African spirit. I was glued to social media platforms to watch from this side of the screen as she announced which acts would be on stage for this celebration. There was nothing for a while. I eventually reached out to sena pictures after they collaborated with Mazwai on a post. They said there was no budget for an extra hand but to send my rate card. I was adamant about being on that team - it was not even about money, I wanted to be part of a historical moment. Nevertheless, I waited on a response and for more announcements regarding the festival. But they were not as consistent on social media.
At least not on Instagram and not the orthodox rollout.
So, here’s the timeline of events as she rolled out information regarding Sankofa Heritage Festival:
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5 November 2025 Three and a half months to go. Thandiswa Mazwai shares the first Sankofa Heritage Festival poster across her social media platforms.
25 November 2025 An official event page for the festival is created on Facebook.
27 November 2025 On her Facebook page, Thandiswa posts a video speaking about her South African Music Awards nominations and reminds fans to purchase tickets for the festival, including a ticket link.
30 November 2025 She posts a video singing along to her song with Stogie T, ending with a simple reminder to buy tickets via Computicket.
8 December 2025 She reflects on wearing umbhaco to the SAMAs in the late 1990s while celebrating her current nominations.
11 December 2025 Thandiswa is honoured with the GQ Music Icon Award.
14 December 2025 She dominates the South African Music Awards, taking home four awards. As she should — Sankofa is a brilliant album. It is church.
17 December 2025 A City Press interview featuring Thandiswa is published on YouTube.
24 December 2025 On Christmas Eve, she posts a video speaking about the festival, reminding audiences about the upcoming event.
8 January 2026 Thandiswa announces that long-time collaborators and friends Somi and Msaki will be joining her on stage.
9 January 2026 The Opening Act Competition is announced on social media.
15 January 2026 Msaki interviewed on 702 with Bongani Bingwa on the Breakfast show.
16 January 2026 The official Sankofa Heritage Festival Instagram page launches on Instagram.
24 January 2026 Msaki posts a video encouraging audiences to secure their tickets.
2 February 2026 A meme-style video is shared online, capturing the energy and anticipation around the festival.
12 February 2026 Vuyo Viwe wins the Opening Act Competition.Special guests are also announced: Mandla Kunene, Thandi Ntuli, Jah Seed, the Sivuyile Traditional Dance Group, and DJ Kenzhero.
14 February 2026 A feature story appears in Sunday Times’ TimesLIVE, highlighting Somi and Msaki.
21 February 2026 Festival conversation continues on Metro FM during Weekend Breakfast Sounds Good, hosted by Somizi.
28 February 2026 The Sankofa Heritage Festival finally goes live.
*I know Msaki and Thandiswa made an appearance on YFM as well, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
That was coupled by other publications covering the event as a story and sharing it on their social media platforms organically. I can imagine some had an official public release sent through but it was so seamless.
Your usual music festival does a video of each artist profiled, with a mash-up of all their previous performances and big fonts telling you the date and where to find the tickets. The special guests then do videos telling you they will be part of the event and that you should buy tickets. Most of the event-related content would be on that specific page made for the event.
Then you’re bombarded with countdowns - “5 Days To Go”, “3 Days To Go” videos, large fonts with a
mash-up motion picture of the artists on the full line-up. Nope, not Sankofa Heritage Fest.
And they sold out Carnival City at R400 per person for a ticket. And they had additional tickets.
Not shocking at all, honestly. People understood not only who, but what they are paying to experience. These are the people who heard the announcement the first time and committed, they heard them on the radio, they saw that she earned her stripes, they read it on the Times, they watched the YouTube videos.
Not loud, just real and impactful marketing.
I won’t lie, as the social media posts dropped during that time, I would be underwhelmed because I am used to the huge, flashy festival marketing. You’ve seen how they do it for your Homecoming Africa Festival, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, even Msaki’s Camagu in Symphony: 10 Years of Gratitude.
Very detailed, fun, engaging. And they work for them and their audiences.
What Maria McCloy, bless her soul, did here was surgical. I would like to assume she had a huge hand as PR and marketing for the festival. The radio stations they visited were impactful, they are the best and top for specific demographics. The timing of her awards reminded the community of the legacy, the talent, the King. The Opening Act Competition, had the world looking to who the baton will be passed on to.
The entire country was alive with opportunity - that grit and bravery. That hope. It ignited the youth, other African spirits.
The day of the event drew closer and I followed-up with sena pictures once again after I had sent through my rate card to check if they still needed hands on the day. No response.
Valid. Because they didn’t even cover the event via social media the same way I usually would or events usually do. The stories were not too packed with “Before the event” or any preparation vlogs. They did not even have pictures on the timeline for people like me who were glued to their phone to experience it through Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. Some events even go live, maybe they did and I missed it. But it is not on their feed. All they did was repost the user generated content from attendees and what a time it was!
There is something so regal about that. So boss. ‘You did not make it, so you missed out’ kind of energy.
Besides that, it’s sacred. They are not selling the moment at all. I respect that.
When a festival is centred not only on the celebrant but what they stand for - it’s easy to say, “Come join our movement”. Let’s rock.
Kind of the same way Gqom Therapy does their thing. The timeline is there to reminisce.
The fun is on the dance floor. The message and point of it all is on the stage. That’s where Spirit is.
Next time you host a festival or think about the social media marketing rollout, consider the unorthodox.
No trending sound, no dancing videos selling. No countdown graphics or flashy announcements.
Just go exactly where your people are. And speak to them there. Honestly. Without the fluff.
Salute!