South African guitar is not just music. It is memory, history and identity carried through strings.
In this episode of Both Sides, Randall Abrahams speaks to guitarist, author and educator Billy Monama about the sound, story and cultural weight of South African guitar styles. The conversation begins with Monama’s early love for the instrument, from church choirs and neighbourhood music to the records that shaped his ear. But it soon becomes a much deeper discussion about African jazz, mbaqanga, Cape Town jazz, forced removals, activism and the role musicians have played as the mouthpiece of society.
Monama explains why he began documenting South African guitar styles after realising there were no proper books, tutorials or reference points for the music of his own country. That absence became a mission: to preserve the memory of the pioneers, players and unsung musicians whose stories risk disappearing.
With live guitar demonstrations, reflections on Abdullah Ibrahim, and the vision behind the Rebirth of Ubuntu concert, this conversation asks a bigger question: who protects the songs when the people who carried them are gone?
Catch up on all Both Sides episodes here: https://www.enca.com/both-sides-podcast
