Bongiwe Beja was born in Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, to a Zulu mother and a Xhosa father. She is the youngest of four children, a brother and two other sisters. Bongiwe describes her upbringing and how her parents, particularly her father, worked very hard to make sure that their children have all the opportunities that they themselves didn’t have.
Bongiwe also talks about how she started drumming when she was 10. By the age of 15, she was already the head percussionist of a youth orchestra.
Her ambition and determination helped her build an astonishing career in South Africa. And, oddly enough, her divorce contributed to that, because after her husband left she started putting everything into her work.
What makes Bongiwe human are her strength and passion, and the way she chose to redefine herself while going through the grief of divorce. Bongiwe refused to link her identity to anyone, rewrote her story and learned how to walk in confidence all over again.
On today’s podcast:
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