I got mail. The Djeuce was invited to the latest Harare instalment of Soke at the Zimbabwe German Society in Milton Park on Saturday, and I went in not knowing what to expect. If you saw the flyer doing the rounds and wondered what Soke actually is, you are not alone, so I sat down with Panashe, Soke's marketing lead, and asked her to walk me through it.
So what is Soke?
Panashe told me Soke started in Cape Town with one intention: bringing the African diaspora together to celebrate culture and Ubuntu. It is the brainchild of Untamed Authority, the Cape Town events company that is also behind Winehouse, the wine and house music evening that has been running at La Parada in Harare.
Untamed Authority is based in Woodstock, Cape Town, and its website lists Soke alongside its other brands, Everybody Loves Sundays, Cape Palooza and Winehouse. Its ticket listings describe the company as having worked Cape Town's urban events scene for almost a decade. The Winehouse listing for La Parada says that series began as a relaxed DJ mix session in the lounge of Tashinga Mutakwa, a Cape Town-based producer and DJ who is one of Soke's organisers.
The name has a meaning too. Thembalethu Hadebe, another of the organisers, told Botswana's Daily News that Soke is a Yoruba word meaning "up", and that it speaks to the experience of African people across the diaspora as they loudly celebrate their culture.
The format was simple. It was a daytime event, 1pm to 10pm, no under 18s, and the dress code was "Touch of Africa". Mutakwa put it to Daily News that Soke is not just a music festival but a blend of rhythm, tradition and tourism.
How Harare became a regular stop
Soke's first edition outside South Africa was in Harare in December 2024. The second Harare edition followed in April 2025 at the Zimbabwe German Society, and Greedy South's Tafadzwa Madzika described a programme that moved from kizomba in the afternoon through Urban Grooves, Afro house, a Soke set of rumba, sungura, kalindula and Zimdancehall, then amapiano and Afrobeats, with a curated market of local designers including Boubou Babe, Malana Studios, Runako Brands and Machuma Accessories.
This year Harare has had three editions: 28 March at the Zimbabwe German Society, an Africa Day edition on 25 May at La Parada, and Saturday's instalment. Soke's Instagram account posted on the eve of the event that every ticket was gone.
What it was actually like
Good vibes, good music and a lot of African attire. Imagine that: we now get to party in African attire and not only save it for weddings. The dress code is the whole point, and the crowd took it seriously, which makes the room look like nothing else happening in Harare on a Saturday afternoon.
To be fair, I did see a lot more women, and I think I know why. Guys struggle with events that ask for an alternative outfit. So a tip to the gents: grab your dashikis and make your way to the next Soke.
Where it goes next
Panashe told me the next instalment is in Gaborone, and the listing is already live. Soke: Celebrate Africa hits Urban View at Game City Lifestyle Mall in Gaborone on Saturday 5 December, from 2pm to 10pm, with tickets from R149 on Quicket. Botswana got its first Soke in March 2025 at the same mall, and Mutakwa told Daily News afterwards that the turnout exceeded expectations and that the team planned to return twice a year. For that debut they also partnered with a travel agency, African Explorer, to bundle a city tour and a game drive into the weekend.
That is the pattern worth noticing. Event listings describe Soke as running several times a year and alternating between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Harare, with Cape Town's most recent edition at The Terrace Rooftop in Salt River in April. What we are seeing is a local event turning into a satellite circuit across the region, with Harare as one of the regular stops rather than a one-off. For Harare's party scene that means a repeat date to plan outfits for, and for the small Zimbabwean designers and craft brands that set up at the market, it means a room full of people who came specifically to buy what they make.
The verdict
Was it wack? No. Was it mid? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It is a new concept for a day out, the African attire touch makes it very aesthetically appealing, and you get to support upcoming Afrocentric crafts and clothing businesses while you are at it. Next one is in Gaborone, but on current form, Harare will not have to wait long.
Sources
- That's every ticket gone for Soke in Harare, Soke Africa on Instagram
- Soke: Celebrate Africa, Harare, 24 October 2026, Quicket
- Soke in Gaborone this March, Botswana Daily News
- Revellers embrace Soke Africa festival, Botswana Daily News
- The Greedy Weekend #008: SOKE's African revolution in Harare, Greedy South
- The 10 Harare events that made our 2024, Greedy South
- Untamed Authority, official site
- Winehouse, La Parada Bay Noakes, Harare, 30 April 2026, Quicket
- Soke: Celebrate Africa, Gaborone, 5 December 2026, Quicket
- Soke: Celebrate Africa, What's On in Joburg
- Soke: Celebrate Africa, Cape Town Tourism
Researched and drafted with the help of AI tools, then fact-checked and edited by our team. How we work.
