Luthando Tshaka – better known as LT – is a 25-year-old young man who did his undergraduate degree at Cape Town’s AFDA. He grew up in Kariega (Uitenhage), and his major this year is music, with a minor in sound design.
UNIQUE HERITAGE
LT comes from the Hlongwane clan Matiwane, which is said to have come from Eswatini (Swaziland) – according to LT’s elders. LT proudly explains: ‘We are an independent and very adaptive people. A majority have scattered all over South Africa, with some of us residing here in the Eastern Cape.’
I ask him if there’s something people might automatically assume when they first meet him. ‘They’re definitely assuming I’m not from here. They’re right though… I’m from a different dimension.’ He further explains that while he gets along with other students, he still feels different wherever he goes. ‘This is just the perspective I have of myself.’
NAME MEANING
LT’s name means ‘love’. ‘As my mother puts it: I am the representation of my parents’ love.’ He also adds that the reason for his name is to spread as much love as he can. ‘Purely by being myself, I reach the hearts of others.’Is it easier to love or hate someone? ‘It’s easier to love. Hate just drains your energy. Love amplifies,’ LT answers.
He also lives his life with no regrets. ‘If I could do things differently in some past situations, then yes, I would. But that’s it. I’m older and wiser now. I can’t blame myself for anything that happened before because those things were lessons I needed to learn.’ Yes, lessons are hard, but it is necessary for the growth of character.
AFDA STUDENT
A year before enrolling at AFDA, LT took a gap year. While trying to figure out his next move, he watched films in his spare time. His mother saw the potential in LT and suggested that he enroll at AFDA. ‘And BOOM! I’m here!’ he tells me.
LT is unique in the sense that he did his first three years at Cape Town’s AFDA campus. After that, he came to Port Elizabeth’s campus to do his Honours. ‘What I like the most about AFDA is that I get to talk to other creative minds,’ LT says. ‘I don’t often meet people who think outside of the box like me.’ LT also enjoys using the studios on campus.
THESIS TOPIC
LT’s research topic for this year includes the following:
“What impact do leitmotifs have on the emotional engagement and narrative enhancement in film scoring within the genre of thriller?”
LT explains why he chose this topic: ‘Motifs was something I was introduced to last year but did not have a chance to fully explore the topic.’ This year, he hopes to dive deep into it and hopefully use it in his production for this year.
MUSICAL DREAMS
LT treats both his major (music) and minor (sound design) equally as majors. He is passionate about anything that has to do with frequencies. ‘If I could compose music for a major Hollywood film, my life would be set.’ What’s the one song LT wishes he had composed himself? ‘The score for Dune 1 & 2,’ he tells me. ‘That was just pure genius.’
What would he do if he had a million dollars? ‘I would love to finish building my studio.’ And his biggest dream ever? ‘To become a household name through rap & music production.’ LT’s hopes and dreams for the future are that wherever he lands, he will be able to take care of himself and the people around him.
LT carries himself with a spirit of gentleness and is not easily swayed by circumstances and challenges around him. He is steadfast and is professional in everything does. When he creates music, he is in a different world – and yes, even a different dimension. The frequency he lives on is electric and creative and he challenges others to go higher and join him in that realm.
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LT has his own YouTube music channel, where he ‘makes music from scratch’.
Check it out:
