2024 LINE-UP
THE THIRD EDITION OF THE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH A DIVERSE LINE-UP OF STORYTELLERS ACROSS A SERIES OF FRINGE SHOWS
AMANDA BLACK, MADALA KUNENE, MALEH, TUBATSI MPHO MOLOI, SIBUSILE XABA, DR GCINA MHLOPHE, MOAFRIKA WA MOKGATHI, vangile gantsho + MORE TO BE PERFORMING ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2024
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 Gcina Mhlophe 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 avant garde 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.
DR GCINA MHLOPHE, MOAFRIKA WA MOKGATHI, vangile gantsho + PILANI BUBU, BUBBLES THE DJ, DJ BOB + WOMLAMBO
Then we meet Dr Gcina Mhlophe, an author, storyteller whose works have been translated into many languages, including all official South African languages, kiSwahili, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese,Japanese and even Braille. She has directed her theatre plays in USA, UK and Greenland, her most widely known and studied theatre text being "Have You Seen Zandile?". Her poetry has been reinterpreted into dance and classical music. She has recently edited and self-published the “Our Storytelling Tree: A South African Storytellers Directory” a first of its kind in archiving 38 of the storytellers currently working in South Africa.
This year poetry peeks every one’s interest with a musical flow from the 3 piece band supporting Dr Gcina Mhlophe, vangile gantsho & MoAfrika Wa Mokgathi.
vangile gantsho is healer, poet and co-founder of impepho press. She is the author of two poetry collections: Red cotton (2018) and Undressing in Front of the Window (2015, Named one of Mail & Guardian’s 2018 Top Young200 South Africans. Her poetry has been published in various literary publications, including Years of Fire and Ash – South African Poems of Decolonisation (2021) New Daughters of Africa (2019), andThe Atlanta Review (2018).
MoAfrika wa Mokgathi is a SouthAfrican based multi-faceted artist, who is a writer, poet
performer, Cultural strategist, a serial civil leader, an award-winning radio Presenter-Producer and cultural worker recognised by the Mail & Guardian Top Young 200 South Africans (2020) amongst many in her talent hat. known for her Sepedi pen, her fusion of the language with English and blend of Jazz, soul and kiba rhythms with her deep sassy vocals.
Our DJ’s for the day include: Bubbles The DJ, DJ Bob and Womlambo.
Bubbles The DJ also known as BillyJackson or ‘Bubblingo’ in some circles is a vinyl enthusiast, record collector, music historian, researcher, record producer, cultural activist based in Pretoria who’s been active in the music industry for close to three decades.
DJ Bob is besotted with Jazz,70s Funk-adelica and Southern African Traditional sounds. He loves a good Samba and always throws in a healthy dose of Afrobeat, Acid Jazz and Trip Hoppy 90’sElectronica. This love of a good record and a Funky Jam has served him well on the festival, club and live music circuit around Southern Africa.
Womlambo’s developing sonic offerings have become an extension of her practice as a cultural worker/curator. The amorphous soundscapes are an exploration of the intersection of nature + ritual. Moving between the sacred and secular, she draws from genres such as pan-African,'worldwide' (or rather quasi-traditional, intercultural, and indigenous music from non-western countries), electronica, IDM, alternative, ambient, new age and jazz.
Your host and MC, ‘Indelible Storyteller’ - Pilani Bubu, is a multi-award winning singer-songwriter, poet, TV presenter and also the founder and curator of the Folklore Festival. It is a ritual and an honour for Pilani to perform annually at the festival as her contribution the festivals theme and discourse. Previous years we explored Folklore Chapter 1 and 2 pertaining to intergenerational dialogue and issues of the black family and African spirituality. This year she performs Nay’Indaba reflecting on South Africa’s history past to present as we contemplate
30 years of Freedom with the festivals #WeTheFolk theme.
Ticket Link to 14 September Family Day.
Available on Quicket from R150 | Student Discounts Available
Kids under 10 enter the main gate for Free
The festival year on year closes with a REPRISE.What is the definition of a reprise: “in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition”
This year’s Folklore Festival Reprise will be held in Cape Town.
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FOLKLORE FESTIVAL (REPRISE) - LINE UP ON 20 & 21SEPTEMBER IN CAPE TOWN AT THE GORGEOUS GEORGE PINK ROOM FROM 6PM TILL LATE,FEATURES…
MORENA LERABA, KUJENGA, DIGITAL SANGOMA, CHOSI, SIFISO KHANYILE FILMS: UPRIZE & A NEW COUNTRY, with DJ MIGHTY AND ATIYYAH KHAN (EL CORAZON)
Our Friday night headliner’s are Kujenga, a seven piece Black improvised music outfit from Cape Town, Kujenga follows on from the rich history of Black band music in South Africa, with the young ensemble representing the present & future for this historic sound.The band released their debut album 'Nationality' in 2019 and their sophomore album 'In The Wake' in 2024.
Supported by Digital Sangoma - an independent Afro indie Electronic Music Producer, DJ, and Performer from sunny Cape Town, South Africa. His music is a hypnotic blend of traditional chants, Afro, indie, and Alternative Dance, with an electric dash of Afro House and groovy guitar riffs, all wrapped up in soulful vocals.
Our Saturday headliner is Morena Leraba is aLesotho-born singer and rapper. He mainly uses traditional Sesotho lyrics and combines them with electro, afro house and Hip hop. His lyrics are deeply rooted in Lesotho's traditional music, poetry, and its sub-genre, famo. Morena Leraba grew up in the village of Ha-Mojela in Lesotho. He got exposed to a variety of music such as kwaito and the traditional music of Lesotho including the alternative and rock music.
Supported by Chosi, who hails from the dusty streets of KwaZakhele Township in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. She describes her sound as a soulful blend of jazz nesingqi. Her influences are her family’s church - the Zion church. She comes from a musical family, from choral to gospel music. She realised her artistry when she started writing poetry to help make sense of the socio-political climate she was in at the time. From poetry, she wrote songs.
Both nights, begin with a film screenings and curated DJ sets by Sifiso Khanyile featuring DJ Mighty and Atiyyah Khan (El Corazon)
Sifiso Khanyile is a Producer/ Director of Anaphora Films. He has works as writer, archive researcher and has worked as a content producer on SABC shows such as Imagine Afrika, Zooming In on Men,Talk SA and Hatch. After studying, Khanyile directed Spiderman and Romeo(2008), a ground breaking short documentary about the thrills and dangers of train surfing on the notorious Metro rail Soweto line. The film was screened at numerous local and international festivals and shown on BBC and Sechuan TV(China). Khanyile's first feature documentary directorial credits include the acclaimed Uprize! (2017) and A New Country (2020).
Atiyyah Khan (El Corazon) is a record collector, archivist, selector and arts journalist based in Cape Town, South Africa. She is the co-founding member of music and art collective, Future Nostalgia who runs regular gigs around the city.
DJ Mighty is a prolific vinyl collector and DJ with a very broad and creative selection - fromHouse to Jazz to Funk to Afro. He has been spinning records for over a decade in clubs and at events. Mighty has played at some of Southern Africa’s most prominent music festivals, including the Bushfire Festival(Swaziland), Holi One Festival (Cape and Johannesburg), Red Bull ElectronicMusic Festival (Cape Town) and Rocking the Daisies (Western Cape).
DJ Mighty only spins vinyl. His unique psychedelic and voodoo-like performances have been known to move crowds wherever he plays.
Ticket Links to Cape Town Below
Early Bird and Student Ticket at R180 | At the door at R200 | Available on Quicket
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20 September
21 September