Thanda Choir

Thanda Choir is a community-based association located in the deep rural lands of Makhaza, within one of South Africa’s largest townships, Khaleystisa. The Organisation was founded in February 2023, by Julio Teixeira, Luke Bernhardi, and Lufefe Radebe. The three founding members matriculated from St Johns College in 2022. We aim to provide the township youth with an opportunity to expand their dreams and goals. Through the organization, teenagers get an opportunity and an escape from the dangerous crime embedded within township life, and offer them a safe space to express their talents in many different aspects of art.

Khayelitsha is a township based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is notoriously known for its high crime and drug rates, especially amongst the youth. The choir is a collection of both young women and men, who are at the forefront of this violence and hardship. Many of our members are victims of these harsh realities, in Khayelitsha. Our Members have witnessed the rape and murder of their loved ones, and through that, we allowed ourselves to grow together and become one family, stitched together with a passion for art. A shared communion.

“It is an organisation built on heartbreaks and hardships, all mended into one format that we call art” as one of the leaders describes it. “Art is what allows us to grow and move forward as one. It allows us to reach for our dreams and travel the world to showcase our talents. It allows us to not just only inspire the youth of South Africa, but to inspire the youth of Africa and the world”.