Maqhinga Hadebe – Amawele Ft. Maqhinga Stanley Radebe

The word means twins in isiZulu, and in many African cultures twins are treated as special. There are naming traditions, stories and sometimes superstitions around them. Two people born together, often looking alike, always being compared. It is a rich subject for a song.

There is also a figurative side. Two people can be called twins without any blood connection. Best friends who finish each other’s sentences, a couple who dress the same way, partners in a business who think alike. In Nigeria we say someone is your “mirror” or your “shadow” when they follow you everywhere. The title could stretch to any of these meanings.

I would not like to say which the artist chose. The only credited feature is Maqhinga Stanley Radebe, so the record looks like a smaller collaboration than some others on the album, and that can mean a closer, more focused piece of work. That is a guess about format, not a claim about sound.

For anyone with a sibling, a close friend or a partner who feels like a second half, the idea behind Amawele is easy to recognise. It is about closeness, and everyone knows what that is.

Download MP3