* This article first appeared here for YourLuxury Africa
Thanks to the devotion of Afrophilic sisters Ella Spira and Pietra Mello-Pittman, South Africa now has an authentic and wonderfully energetic voice on London’s West End. Following a friend’s recommendation, I booked a performance of Inala. I don’t recall feeling so fully enmeshed in the South African spirit and psyche outside the country before. It was more than a taste of home; it was home.
Ella Spira co-wrote the show with the late Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and described to me both the privilege and praxis of the writing process: “When I was there, I’d play around on the piano with ideas, and Joseph and the other singers in Mambazo would find their vocal phrase, and I would then adapt it back to them, so it was beautifully cyclical in how each piece evolved, in keeping with the call and response of Isicathamiya.”
“On a philosophical level, I learnt not to dwell in the past or give too much airtime to the life challenges or pain we go through. Musically, I learnt to be brave about sitting with one motif or phrase and allowing the repetition to become the evolution of the piece. Structurally, that’s very different from a typical Western approach,” says Ella.
The magic begins before the show, with the iGoli Bar offering a selection of exclusively South African wines. By the glass, bottle, or through a tutored wine flight, the flavours of home are savoured with each sip. Ella’s artworks, all painted in situ in South Africa, adorn the walls, serving as both a gallery and a journey through the country’s dramatic scenery.
The hour-long show features a cast of nine, all talented performers from South Africa, who lead the explosion of song and dance. It is authentic, heartfelt, exhilarating, and a bona fide celebration of the country. I was fortunate to attend on a Wednesday. After the show, the magic continues, with the cast joining guests at the bar for an impromptu Afro-jazz set, included in the ticket price or separately bookable.
I glimpsed co-founder Pietra watching the audience at one point, a deep smile etched across her face. I asked her to take me back to seeing the audience’s reaction for the first time: “We premiered Inala at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 at the Playhouse. There wasn’t a seat in the house. Ella and I ended up sitting on the steps. When the curtain came down, every single audience member in the largest theatre in Europe got to their feet with a roar. It is truly unforgettable, a memory I’ll treasure forever.”
Milton Dlamini Ndlakuse is one of the performers who shared a little of his journey from Soweto to Soho: “I initially joined Inala through Soweto Gospel Choir. I remember we were in Portugal when our tour manager told me about Inala. We met the Inalateam in the UK later that year. I was intrigued by that history because it resonates with me and my culture as a South African.”
In discussion, Milton and I shared a favourite moment from the show, where one of the female singers performs the song Usizi: “It’s deeper than I thought it was because it incorporates what has happened in South Africa in the past, going back to 1976 when students were protesting for a better education, and they were brutally killed. This song resonates with me because it reminds me of fallen heroes who represented us as a country.”
The spellbinding show has been extended until August 2027, with tickets ranging from an affordable £20, bookable via House of Sisters Grimm.