Prof Zoliswa Fikelepi-Twani
Head of Department
Qualifications:
PhD: Music (WITS); MMus – Music Education (UKZN); BSocSc Honours: Criminology (UKZN); BSocSc: Criminology & Legal Studies (UKZN)
About
Prof. Fikelepi-Twani is a distinguished scholar, Full Professor of Music, and Head of the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Zululand (UNIZULU). With a PhD in Music from the University of the Witwatersrand, she has made significant contributions to musicology, particularly in African and South African music. Her expertise spans Western Music History, World Music, and Ethnomusicology, positioning her as a leading academic voice in the discipline.
Prof. Fikelepi-Twani’s career reflects an unwavering commitment to excellence in both teaching and research. Her groundbreaking doctoral study, Music Behind Bars, examined the transformative power of music in prison rehabilitation and has since been published as a book, influencing scholarship and practice within the field. She is deeply dedicated to mentoring the next generation of music scholars, having supervised numerous postgraduate students at Honours, Master’s, and Doctoral levels, and co-authored publications with several of her mentees. Her academic contributions have been recognised nationally and internationally through publications in DHET-accredited and high-impact international journals, as well as through presentations and session chairing at prestigious global conferences. She also serves widely as an external examiner for various institutions.
Prof. Fikelepi-Twani currently serves as the Director and Executive Producer of the Battle of Municipalities (BOM) Choral Music Competitions Finale and is a member of the judging panel for the Annual Humanities and Social Sciences Awards. She is a recipient of the UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Creative Outputs, a recognition evaluated by external peers. Her scholarly impact has also been acknowledged through her participation in prominent international initiatives, including the SSARN Project, the SAFINET Project, and the Penn State African Studies Global Virtual Forum.
She is actively involved in initiatives aimed at shaping the future of Music Education in South Africa and leads a collaborative research project and gedenkschrift on the life and contributions of the late Professor Khabi Mngoma. Her current scholarship engages critically with the decolonisation of the creative arts and music curriculum, as well as innovative teaching and learning methods in the creative arts. Her work seeks to challenge traditional approaches while promoting inclusive and culturally responsive music education.
Through her research, teaching, mentorship, and international collaborations, Prof. Fikelepi-Twani has established herself as a leading figure in musicology. Her commitment to excellence, innovation, artivism, and social justice continues to inspire emerging scholars and musicians, solidifying her standing as a global academic role model.
Research Interests
- Decolonisation/Africanisation/Indigenisation of the music curriculum
- Music and gender
- Music and identity
- Action research studies
- Artivism and social justice
- Black choralism in South Africa – Amakwaya
Professional membership
- South African Finnish Network (SAFINET) Academic Exchange Project
- Artivism Research Community of Practice
- South African Society of Research in Music (SASRIM)
- PENN State African Studies Global Virtual Forum
Research Databases / Publications