Maqhinga Hadebe – Igama Alipheli Ft. Maqhinga Stanley Radebe & Minenhle Seluleko Masibonge Mahlaba

The title can be understood as a name that never ends or never runs out. In Zulu culture a name carries family, history and expectation. People are called by clan names, praise names and nicknames, and each one says something about where a person comes from. A name surviving long after the person has gone is a respected idea.

We have the same thing in Nigeria. A man can be gone for twenty years and people still speak his name at weddings and funerals. A footballer, a musician, a market woman, a grandfather. Some people are remembered for what they built, and some for how they treated others. The title points to that kind of legacy.

The record has a long credit for its featured name, and that is a small detail I like. Full names carry a bit of ceremony, and that suits a song that seems to be about identity. I will not guess at the sound, since the subject and the credits are what can be established.

If you have ever wondered what people will say about you when you are not in the room, Igama Alipheli asks the same question in a few words.

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