Ubuntu Ensemble review – charged musical snapshots of South Africa’s struggle

Wigmore Hall, London
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, a stirring programme culminated with Leon Bosch’s double bass sounding a fragile note of hope

On 16 June, 1976, more than 10,000 students from Soweto took to the streets in a peaceful protest against the apartheid regime. Police answered with shots. It was a spark that kindled into months of conflict, a turning-point in South African history. Freedom Songs – a day of concerts at the Wigmore Hall – marked the uprising’s 50th anniversary, culminating in a performance by Leon Bosch and the Ubuntu Ensemble.

Double-bassist Bosch is the son of an activist father, and he himself was arrested in 1976 – an event that derailed his ambitions to study law, steering him instead towards music. In a room full of South Africans, onstage and off, it was one of many such stories, the atmosphere quietly charged.