Dakawa Jazz Festival blowing own trumpet

The Dakawa Jazz Festival has been taking homegrown talents to the township on the outskirts of Makhanda for many years.

The music series is an extension of the National Arts Festival, which annually features budding artists with established musicians.

This week was no different as Eastern Cape talents lined up all week to deliver a stellar mini-festival at the Dakawa Community Arts Centre.

Power outages on Monday evening disrupted the week-long programme, but the show’s coordinator Ray Qaba said it was “a blessing in disguise” as they would get to perform on Saturday instead of ending the show on Friday.

On Saturday night, Ntsiki Sishuba and Blaq Tye will close the music series with their performances.

Throughout the week, names such as Malibongwe Dololo, the Lulam Gawulana Quartet and Bongeziwe Mabandla shared the stage.

Qaba said the jazz festival had overcome many hurdles, and was finally starting to bear fruit.

“We’ve continued to grow and 2017 was one of our pinnacle years.

“Dakawa is fast becoming a distinct brand in the National Arts Festival. We are showcasing our own artists so that they may be known in their backyards.”

He said the Arts Centre was becoming too small for the shows, which gained popularity each year.

“We’re running out of space for the crowds but we won’t change the venue because we want Dakawa to remain in the township because of its unique identity.”

Daniel Hutchinson of the Couga Jazz Ensemble said: “We have seen the development of Dakawa over the years and to see its amazing growth is great. It’s an awesome platform to meet and share the stage with well-known artists and become exposed to the South African jazz world.”