Based: Cape Town

BlackRoots Marimbas started with three ladies from Gugulethu in Cape Town who started playing marimbas together in 2010. They fell in love with the art and started looking for sponsors for their own instruments. In 2012 Arm in Arm in Africa (through J.L Zwane Church) sponsored the ladies with a set of marimbas and Blackroots Marimbas was formed.

Since its formation, Blackroots Marimbas has performed at a variety of places ranging from Aquila Game Reserve; Moshito Music Festival (2013 Joburg the Budget Speech at Parliament; the Protea Hotel);  Woman’s day festival at Baxter(2015); Mother City Live Festival(2015) and at various matrimonial occasions thereby showcasing their versatile nature.

They are the 2013 Western Cape Award Winners of the “Promotion of indigenous Art Forms” Award.

Having gone on to add indigenous instruments such as the Mbira, uHadi (bow) and the modern day electric guitar to their repertoires, BlackRoots has formed a unique sound that one could categories as Neo –traditional Indie.

The band is led by Sibahle Sky Dladla (an African music student at the University of Cape Town) and the other band members include Ntombekhaya Halam, Sharon Mhambi, Eric Hunt, and Rashid Adams also UCT students.

Blackroots is currently working on their first album which will feature songs such as Beautiful Mahogany and Nyawo zinodaka which are some of their original compositions.