On 1 October 2009, Pan African Space Station hosted Udaba at The Centre for the Book, Cape Town.
Udaba was a musical flurry of passion, soul, soothsaying, truth-telling and jazz poetry that takes you on flights of improvisational abandon. Their politically engaged elegies fused vernacular lyricism, Xhosa praise singing and African indigenous music on jam-like sets with a rotating crew of regular collaborators. Udaba drew their inspiration from Xhosa literature and they referred to their music as Umculo Buciko (musical essays).
For PASS, Udaba collaborated with spoken-word author and filmmaker Kgafela oa Magogodi.
Ubada have since disbaned, but two of the five founding members, Liyo and Pura hasve formed Izithunywa Zohlanga (Messengers of the Nation) to use indigenous repertoire and idioms to produce music and literature that speaks directly to the present in post-Apartheid South Africa while at the same time being custodians of our heritage through performances. Koketso Potsane writes on the new duo here.