Aura Msimang – Life’s Journey Through Music Although her parents passionately disapproved, music was Aura Msimang’s first love, growing up in the dusty streets of Bloemfontein, South Africa. Transition between childhood in SA and early adulthood in other countries/exile? In the late 1960's, Aura began appearing as a singer in a band, performing for graduation dances, weddings and clubs in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Their show was a fusion of West African Highlife music, Congolese Rhumba and South African Mbaqanga & Marabi, West African style. In the early 1970's as a student in New York, Aura performed with Master Matiwane Manana's (a Mswati Master of Nguni Culture) 'Inkanyezi Dance Company', to Juma Sultan, and Blood Ulmer’s 'Aboriginal Music Society’, a vibrant jazz fusion group, where she honed her improvisational vocal skills. Becoming a member of the 'Caribbean American Repertory Theatre' (CART) in Brooklyn was another milestone, which intensified her love of the dramatic arts, and brought realization of the influence this discipline can have on all aspects of life. By the late 1970's Aura was a student of the Jamaica School of the Arts (JSA) drama department, in Kingston, Jamaica, which was an inspiring time for her. While there, she was often hired for studio sessions with various artists as a backup vocalist. With a fellow student in the JSA Dance Department, she worked on a demo of their dream musical project “Full Experience - 3 women from Africa and the Diaspora”, which was later recorded by Lee Perry at his legendary 'Black Ark Studios'. In the late 1970’s, Aura also toured West Africa and Europe with Jimmy Cliff's 'Bongo Man' tour. During this amazing time, she found herself in one of Island Record’s London Studios, participating in a recording session of Bob Marley & Lee 'Scratch' Perry's 'Punky Reggae Party/Keep on Moving', and the realization of one of her greatest dreams....to sing with Bob Marley. This period ended with the honor of singing with the late Ma Cedella Booker at the Montego Bay Memorial Service for her son, Bob Marley. During the early 1980's, Aura moved to the Eastern Caribbean island of Anguilla, on a contract with Bankie Banx, who was an icon of the region, to participate in a tour of Eastern & Central Caribbean islands, in a 4-mast sail boat. The highlight of the tour was a performance at Jamaica 'SunSplash' in Montego Bay, the Bob Marley Memorial Festival. In 1984. Aura had the opportunity to work with 'Sedition Ensemble' a jazz fusion/drama/spoken word group in New York. This was an awesome experience which brought all of her previous experiences together, and allowed her to fully explore the breadth of her talents. This has remained a treasured memory in her artistic quest for excellence. During this time, Aura was also working on a demo of the music she personally wanted to perform, inspired by her longing for the sound of African music. Pursuing this passion meant going to France, since at that time, France was where the best African musicians could be found off the African continent. Arriving on a 3 month visa, with one contact and not a word of French, she was fortunately well received by the African Musician’s fraternity. She soon found a job with Mory Kante in the promotion of his first international album and tour, 'Ten Kola Nuts'. This was followed by a promotional tour with Manu Dibango, performing the music of his 'Afri-Jazzy' album. As Aura was pursuing this portion of her career, she had to return to the United States every 3 months to renew her visa, which was complicated by the fact that she had originally arrived in the U.S. with refugee status. She attained a three-year contract with French icon Maxime Le Forrestier in 1987, working on his album 'Ne Quelque Part. The title track of this album contained a refrain which Aura wrote in Zulu. 'Ne Quelque Part' won the 1989 'Victoire de la Musique', song of the year. This is the French equivalent of the Grammy, a stunning accomplishment to have been part of. The late 1980’s brought the extraordinary experience of working with the late 'Chris McGregor and the Brotherhood of Breath' on their 'Country Cooking' album tour. This was a bitter-sweet experience as they finished the tour posthumously, with the Late Dudu Pokwane on sax. He had been one of the members of the “The Blues Notes” the original group that left South Africa with Chris McGregor in the 50's. The 1990's found Aura in Belgium where she formed a trio, performing in clubs and cultural centers between more lucrative gigs. She was approached by Oxfam Solidarity, a Belgian non-governmental organization, to participate in their 'Carrefour du Monde' interactive workshop, focusing on the work of Oxfam’s ‘Cooperation in Development’ projects. Her duties involved raising awareness in Belgium of the collaboration between Oxfam Solidarity and South African community-based organizations to promote gender equality and empower rural women. Her workshops incorporated South African song and dance with audio-visual support. This also kept her involved in local African music, culminating in the album 'Itshe', which Aura developed as a farewell to friends and fans, as she had chosen to return permanently to South Africa. However, due to employment obstacles, she spent nearly three years commuting between Brussels and Johannesburg, before completing her move home in 1999. Having begun her life in the dusty streets of Bloemfontein, South Africa, and come full circle to return after many years in exile, Aura believes she has been extremely Blessed in her life’s path, with music always the anchor and the joy. Please check www.myspace.com/iQwaproductions for the suite, as life unfolded in Mzantsi- (South Africa)