Music project rehearsals restarted from the first week in February 2011, with participants focussing on refining performances for the first of this year’s 4WAY LIVE events. At this point, the average number attending weekly rehearsals were +/- 20 in Fish Hoek; +/- 40 in Masiphumelele and +/- 60 in Ocean View, which corresponds to the amount of time each wing of the project has been running.
Music project facilitators held their own brainstorming processes in February. The first was for Fish Hoek participants focussing on their goals for 2011.
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The second on how to implement the green theme in the music programme was facilitated by Earl, Khanyiselo and Luke using techniques learned on their PYE course.
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In February and March, 8 eMzantsi music project facilitators went on PYE training, building on the grounding they had in October last year.
Also in February, Ocean View music programme participants Lucille Moses and Elriza Klink completed Africa UniteÕs human rights peer educator training programme.
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| Lucille and Elriza at the Africa Unite graduation ceremony |
The first 4WAY LIVE of the year in April marked the launch of our 2011 green theme ‘eMzantsi Goes BOS’. Children of Ocean View were encouraged to take care of their environment by picking up litter in the company of a crazy dancing baboon who had himself been creatively recycled from waste! They were rewarded for their efforts with free drinks of BOS iced tea and the cans were collected to be recycled into beautiful things for the eMzantsi Carnival in December. During the fantastic stageshow of a wide variety of music and dance that followed, MCs Ricardo and Leo had fun challenging the crowd to find new ways to ‘go BOS.
The second 4WAY LIVE of the year was held on the Youth Day weekend at the Masiphumelele Community Hall in June. Local children were once again encouraged to take care of their environment by picking up litter. They were accompanied by Father Time and Solar, this year’s puppets representing climate change and alternative energy respectively, who drew a huge appreciative crowd. MCs Oscar and Wonder showed a great improvement since last year, as did many of the acts. And finally, after watching from the wings so many times, Mpho from False Bay Volunteer Emergency Medical Services got up on stage Ð we were so proud of her!
eMzantsi music acts were invited to take part in a collaboration with city DJs for an AfrikaBurn fundraiser. Van Die Blokke harmony singers from Ocean View and the Marhoshi Gumboot Troupe and Cape Velvet harmony singers from Masi rehearsed four times with DJs Jan Lohfeldt, Spekta and Jezza respectively. They performed to riotous appreciation at the Zula Bar in Long Street as part of the ‘Videolicious Ubuntu Mash-Up’ in August. Some of the funds raised went towards transport costs for the eMzantsi team to the AfrikaBurn festival 2012.
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| DJ Jan Lowveldt rehearsing with VDB and Cape Velvet in July with facilitation by Cindy Carelse | ||
eMzantsi music acts also supported stand-up comedian Marc Lottering at the Sharkspotters fundraiser in Fish Hoek in August, while Ricardo Herdien (who trained with Mark Sampson in the Comedy Masterclass last year) acted as MC.
Twice weekly intercultural music project rehearsals at Ocean View Civic Centre, Living Way Training Campus, Masiphumelele and the Fish Hoek MOTH Hall intensified in the last quarter of the year in preparation for both our Heritage Day events and the post-Carnival show. Each wing of the music project continued to write collaborative songs on the theme ‘eMzantsi Goes BOS!’.
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| Restoration Choir from Masiphumelele with band from Ocean View rehearsing in Sept at Living Way | ||
4WAY LIVE Simonstown September 2011
On Friday 23rd Sept, music project acts performed a free concert at Simonstown High School – the teenaged audience was vociferously enthusiastic.
4WAY LIVE Noordhoek Farm Village Poitjie Day September 2011
On Saturday 24th Sept, another free concert provided musical accompaniment to the Noordhoek Farm Village Potjie Challenge event. In addition, an ‘eMzantsi Carnival Roadshow’ mini-parade marched in Simonstown Spring Festival before wrapping up the show at Noordhoek.
4WAY LIVE Masi Massive September 2011
On Sunday 25th Sept, a selection of eMzantsi acts performed at the regular Masi Massive event on Kolobe Street in Masiphumelele. Fish Hoek band My Friend’s Bread, Trigga and Van Die Blokke from Ocean View, and Zimbabwean reggae group Paradox 5/11 got a huge response and proved once again that eMzantsi has truly intercultural appeal across all our communities.
In addition, music project acts (Young Terra, and 4Corners from Ocean View, Luke D from Fish Hoek and Da O from Masiphumelele) supported senior music project coordinator Earl Mentor at his concerts and video launches in March and September respectively. See his Ocean View life story in ‘Petunia Court’ on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJoiN7td-UI
Following the Bloco pilot last year, local Noordhoek drumcircle facilitator Michelle van Blommestein of Naturali Catchi volunteered to support Zenzi Ngwenya of RedZebra to help Leo Letsape reach his full potential as band leader, building both musical and administrative skills.
In another spin off from the intercultural music programme, the eMzantsi’s Got Talent competition was proposed by senior music project coordinators Earl Mentor, Khanyiselo Silo and Luke De Villiers to combat the drop in attendance over the winter months. It was a hugely successful strategy, precipitating an upswing in participation during weekly auditions through October to area finals in November. Our youth were greatly inspired and this competition proved an exciting and worthy climax to two and half years of the music project.
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| The Ocean View auditions for eMzantsiÕs Got Talent took place at the Civic Centre with independent judges Benedict Mentor, Wonder Matambeka and Nathan Daniels | ||
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| There was a large crowd for the area final, where 3 acts were chosen to go through to the Carnival final | ||