Yolanda Y'awa
Western Cape
Yolanda Y'awa is a sought-after singer in South Africa due to her exquisite voice and compelling stage presence, as well as her broad repertoire.
The multi-talented star is best known as the lively "FLOWER OF GUGULETHU" from Gugulethu in Cape Town. She was the former lead vocalist of the Afro-classical fusion band Coda. She has been performing since she was seven years old, and her first taste of stardom came when she won her first talent competition, belting out the sounds of & Too Late for Mama, by Brenda Fassie. "Because my upbringing was not always rosy, I relied heavily on passion and inspiration to get through life."
In the township where I grew up, a healthy dosage of music and different cultural experiences served as a continual reminder that I had a voice to share with the world!" Y'awa says.
Y'awa has now been invited to perform at worldwide events such as the Afrika Festival Wurzburg in Germany, the CMJ New York, the Afrika Festival Nijmegen in Holland, and the Bevrijdingse Festival in Holland, to name a few.Y'awa is a FORCE to be feared! She is a BRIGHT FUTURE!
TESTIMONIALS
"We were so fortunate to have Yolanda as part of the opening event of the first world conference on personality in this wonderful setting of Spier, near Cape Town." Her ENERGY, connection with the crowd, and incredible voice provided the conference a huge boost. After arduous flights from all around the world, her music and dynamic performance transported the delegates straight into the heart of South Africa. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!!"
On behalf of Common Purpose, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with us on our programme day, Courage: I Can Lead.
The Navigator course participants found the involvement to be interesting, inspiring, and informative. I thought you might be interesting in hearing some of the participants' reactions to the learning opportunity with you.
Here are their thoughts:
• All I have to say is WOW.
• Fantastic, amazing, awesome, and amazing
• I was quite inspired.
• Global messages from intimate settings
• Extremely strong and inspiring