Beginning in the late nineteenth century, a lasting musical relationship grew between the Portuguese colony of Mozambique and the Johannesburg region of South Africa. Mozambican migrants, working in Rand District mines, became intermediaries in cultural exchanges between the countries. Within this context, Fanny M’Pfumo, a legendary figure of urban Mozambican music, emerged in the 1950s. After Mozambique gained independence in 1975, relations soured between the two countries. The new revolutionary regime in Maputo intended to forge a national culture separate from South Africa’s Apartheid state. Nonetheless, a more limited but constant migration recommenced in 1975-1980, with professional and semi-professional musicians testing their luck in Johannesburg and Cape Town.