OU professor performs at inaugural Unisa African Musical Festival in South Africa

During a recent visit to South Africa, Oakland University Professor Mark Stone was invited to participate in the country's inaugural Unisa African Musical Festival, which was hosted on September 26-27, 2025 by the University of South Africa (Unisa) at its Muckleneuk Campus on Pretoria.

Held during South Africa's Heritage Month, the two-day festival brought together world-class artists and ensembles in a celebration of Africa's rich musical traditions, particularly those involving traditional bowed instruments, percussion, and string-based practices.

"This was the first time in the 150-year history of Unisa that they'd ever presented a festival highlighting indigenous African musical traditions," said Stone, professor of music and coordinator of world music and percussion at OU. "So it was a really big deal that they did this festival and that they brought in these traditions and celebrated them in this big concert hall."

The festival was conceived under the leadership of Unisa Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula and organized by Professor Thomas Pooley, Unisa's professor of music and acting director of the Unisa Music Directorate.

"Thomas is also my one of Ph.D. advisor at Unisa, so when he invited me to participate in the festival, I was honored," Stone said. "It was a very high-profile event, and it was a great way to celebrate these musical traditions."

Stone was invited to represent the musical traditions of Ghana using the gyil, a traditional xylophone of northern Ghana.

"I presented a performance of gyil music, specifically the music of my friend and mentor, the late Bernard Woma," Stone said. "It was very special to me because I was playing Bernard's music and I was doing it on Bernard's gyil, which was gifted to me after his passing. I was honored and grateful to be a part of the festival and to share Bernard's music. It was a very spiritual experience."

In addition to Stone, the festival also featured performances by Dizu Zungula Mzikantu Plaatjies and Adilia Yip, as well as a collaborative performance featuring Cara Stacey, Mpho Molikeng, Sazi Dlamini and Evans Netshivhambe.

"It was stunning, and these guys were just amazing," Stone said. "And just to be there and be part of that music in person, I was just so grateful to be there and to be experiencing this music that I've been listening to it for years. To get to share a program with them was truly special."