Biography
Jonas Gwangwa was a South African jazz musician, trombonist and composer. He was born Jonas Mosa Gwangwa on 19 October 1937 in Orlando East, Soweto, and died on 23 January 2021 in Johannesburg.
He first gained prominence in the late 1950s as a member of the Jazz Epistles. After leaving South Africa in 1961, he spent three decades in exile and led the Amandla Cultural Ensemble, the cultural group of the African National Congress, from 1980 to 1990.
Gwangwa co-composed the score and theme song for the 1987 film Cry Freedom with George Fenton; the work received Academy Award and Grammy nominations. He also composed for films including Soweto Green (1995) and provided theme music for the television series Generations.
