A bigger Folklore Music festival to enthral fans in Joburg, Cape Town and Pretoria this year
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
I recently attended an event in Braamfontein that for the past two years has become an increasingly popular on the cultural map in Gauteng.
As I listened to the founder of the festival, none other than Pilani Bubu a much talented folklore musician herself, who is most of the year globe-trotting and performing at major festival, I realised that this festival, which I have had the privilege of attending since its inception, and enjoyed very much, is more than a music festival.
It is story telling in its complete sense, incorporating musical performances, poetry renditions, book launches and talks, and will therefore this year give festival goers an experience that will be hard to forget.
This year, this niche festival is bigger, with more artists roped in and more cities and venues added, beyond its original home at the National School of the Arts.Now besides being hoisted in Johannesburg Bubu the founder has announced that she is extending it to Pretoria and Cape Town this year, and more artists have been added onto the line up.
More artists added
Amanda Black, Madala Kune, Maleh, Tubatsi Mpho Moloi, Sibusile
Xaba, and to be performing on 14 September.
The Gauteng #WeTheFolk Folklore Fringe Shows will finale with the annual family Friendly Festival on 14th September, at Constitution Hill, Women’s Jail Precinct. A a rich line up of musicians, authors, spoken word artists, poets, and storytellers have been added to the programme. We are still keeping to our promised of inter-generational dialogue by way of edu-tainment for kids of all ages from 11am – 5pm curated by Knickerbocker Doodle Bag, Logan & Friends with education specialist Dr Jocelyn Logan-Friend, featuring GcinaMhlophe and Sho Madjozi with Sho Ma &The stars.
On the main stage we meet:
Amanda Black a powerful voice in women empowerment and African identity. This multi-platinum selling and multiple award-winning singer/songwriter, will bring her afro-soul flair to the days line up. She is an inspired storyteller, consummate performer and Afro – Rockstar!
Dr Madala Kunene is a guitarist, singer, a songwriter, a composer and a musical anthropologist whose native rhythms cross the musical lines between jazz and Zulu folk blues. Affectionately known as ‘Bafo’ – which means brother; his sound has become a staple diet on music stages across South Africa for well over five decades and his dexterity on the six string has earned him the title of “King Of The Zulu Guitar”.
Hailing from the Kingdom of Lesotho we have Maleh, with music textured with tales of migrancy, folklore and moments of deep self-reflection. We look forward to this singer-songwriters considered and afro- spiritual soul.
Then we meet Tubatsi Mpho Moloi, a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter influenced by the sounds of blues, jazz, rock and African folk music. His newest work is inspired by artists GuyButtery, Philip Tabane, Bob Dylan and Zim Nqawane. His music asks the audience to be open-minded and exploratory as he brings a collaboration of sound and genre in creating an authentic fusion folk sound.
A beautiful moment is planned to meet Sibusile Xaba’s solo guitar. This Charismatic guitar savant reframes Maskandi, Malombo the desert blues and jazz into his own avantgarde humanist manifesto. With a vocal style that is part dream-scaping & part ancestral invocation, Xaba divines as opposed to plainly singing & imbuing mythology
and improvisational intensity.