UJ Alumni Impumelelo Magazine Edition 13

While this is the sentiment she holds, Chaka Chaka does believe there is a form of complacency that lies with today’s generation of students, stressing that young people felt entitled as if the world owed them oysters and all of life’s trimmings. “No one owes you anything. Life is a fight – you have to fight to live, to have longevity, and you have to fight to have that seat at the table. You cannot be complacent and believe that things will be given to me,” she said, the emphasis of her words becoming audibly pronounced. On future plans, Chaka Chaka says while she graduated from Henley Business School in December for her Honours degree, she looks to enrol for her MBA for the July intake. “There are different projects that I’m working on, such as the Backing Vocalists and Session Musician Awards, which I do bi-annually. These awards were established to encourage musicians that not everyone can be a Lira, a Yvonne or a Brenda,” stated the singer, recalling the legendary Brenda Fassie. “You can work with big artists as a backing vocalist and still be part of that value chain. We do the awards with the vocalists and give them R25 000 as an endowment.” She added that, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she formed an all-women radio station, saying it was a platform for “young, black opinionated people” to share about the social ills they encounter. “Radio is one of the most powerful platforms to disseminate information, so this is one project I’m passionate about. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to turning 60 next year!” said Chaka Chaka.

ALUMNI IMPUMELELO 25

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