This heart-rending biography of one of Africa’s legends of contemporary music, is a well-written and fluid account of the life and times of Frank Leepa, the founder, leader and composer of Sankomota. Mpho A. Leepa – Frank Leepa’s younger sister – gives an almost-complete account of her brother’s fulfilled, yet turbulent time in Lesotho, South Africa and Europe. Frank Leepa died on November 27, 2003 after a short illness. Mpho takes us on a journey of this genius – from childhood, to political turmoil of Lesotho, to missing a chance to gig in America for 6-months to their success in South Africa and in Europe. Leepa also outlines her brother’s footsteps with his bands – from Anti-Antiques, to Uhuru and finally Sankomota. This book is an important addition to the understanding of the history of Lesotho and South Africa through music. It is beautifully written and it is a reflection of raw emotions that have been banked by Leepa’s family.
The legacy of the founder of Sankomota – a very popular African music band – is now available as a book. Written by Frank Leepa’s sister, Mpho A Leepa, Born for Greatness: Biography of Frank Leepa covers the important parts of Frank Leepa’s life – from the killing of his father by the a rented SADF military gunship, to his uphill battle in music and starting his band about three times to his love life and the finality of his death. This book qualifies as an almost-complete account of Frank Leepa’s short life.
“It is impossible – perhaps even unthinkable – to write one sentence about the history of South Africa; at least from a musical perspective; without glowingly writing about Sankomota, the mighty, incomparable and legendary music band that defined the 1980s and 1990s in southern Africa. To speak of Sankomota is not to speak of a band, but an institution, the cornerstone of struggle politics of Africans in the southern tip of Africa.”
Born in the glorious kingdom of Lesotho in the 1970s, Sankomota was started – by the young and unassuming yet talented-beyond-myth Frank Mahlomola Leepa – in a high school in Lesotho. The motley collection of his bosom friends – Moss Nkofu, Pitso Sera (a surviving member of the original Frank Leepa’s band) and Motlatsi Mafisa, became one of the best and most important musical bands of our time.”
Book title: Born for Greatness: Biography of Frank Leepa, by Mpho A. Leepa
Author: Mpho A. Leepa
ISBN: 978-0-620-60436-9
Publisher: Geko Publishing
Publishing Editor: Phehello J Mofokeng (Geko)
Typesetting, design and layout: Geko Publishing (Pty) Ltd
Cover artwork: Geko Publishing (Pty) Ltd
Date of release: May 2018
Genre: Non-fiction/Musical biography
Cover photo: Aryan Kaganof
Contributing editors: Karabelo Bale and Mathe Ntshekhe
About the author
Mpho A. Leepa is an author from Maseru, Lesotho. Born for Greatness is her debut work. She has two sons, Khothatso and Liteboho. She works hard at restoring and preserving the musical legacy of her late brother and genius, Frank Mahlomola Leepa.
About Geko Publishing
Geko Publishing is a black-owned independent publisher owned and run by Phehello Mofokeng; an influential figure on the Johannesburg literary scene. Geko Publishing has long been recognised for publishing cutting-edge literature that is relevant to modern South Africa. In a period spanning almost a decade, the company has published South African (English and vernacular) literature including fiction, poetry and biographies by some of the country’s multi-award winning writers and academics.
About the publisher
Phehello Mofokeng has over 10-years publishing and media experience. He is a Wits University graduate and a regular speaker at literary events in South Africa and in SADC. Mofokeng is also an author of Sankomota: An Ode in One Album – A Reflective Essay (Geko, 2018). Outside of publishing, Mofokeng has written and consulted on some of South Africa’s successful television dramas and cultural programs; including Isibaya, Isithembiso and Curious Culture. Mofokeng holds a joint honours degree in African Languages and Drama & Film from Wits University.
Some of the Geko titles
- Born for Greatness: Biography of Frank Leepa, by Mpho A. Leepa (2017)
- Marikana: A Moment in Time, ed. Raphael d’Abdon (2013)
- Walking The Road of Death by Prof. Peter Horn (2013)
- Ga Ke Modisa by Sabata-mpho Mokae (winner of two M-Net Literary awards) (2012)
- Dreams of Flight by Myesha Jenkins (2012)
- Emos Est Se Ha’ae by Lance Henson (2014)
Contact details
Geko Publishing (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg
For media-related queries, marketing and media review copies please contact
Mr Phehello J Mofokeng
M: 087 073 6238
E: phehello@gekopublishing.co.za
W: www.gekopublishing.co.za
Please note that Geko Publishing only provides PDFs for media reviews, not print copies.
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