Let’s grow the music
Learning a musical instrument under the tuition and mentorship of a dedicated teacher changed the course of Sambesiwe Mavela’s life, giving him a strong sense of purpose. Now, under the banner of a registered NPO, he is working to bring that kind of hope
Sambesiwe Mavela grew up in Hamburg, in a home with few resources.
Keiskamma Music Academy, run by Helen Vosloo gave him a second home, a place of love, a place where he could freely express himself with no judgment. This is what he felt the youth of Nemato needed.
In August 2023, non-profit company Inkwenkwezi School of Artistry was registered. In September 2023, the project stepped out as a beacon of hope, channeling the artistic passions of the youth of Port Alfred into a remedy for the community’s struggles.
Inkwenkwezi aims to equip its pupils with skills to enable them to achieve excellence in music and to provided something to do for children who aren’t interested in sport so that they don’t fall victim to drug and physical abuse and teenage pregnancy, among other risks.
The organisation has 15 pupils who receive recorder tuition weekly through individual lessons on Friday afternoons, and team building and life skills workshops on the last Saturday of each month.
The sessions take place at Ingubo Children’s Haven, a nonprofit organisation based in Port Alfred.
Mavela and his assistants provide these sessions but they struggle to sustain the project.
They have recorders that were donated by close friends and family and a set of small xylophones donated by Rhodes University Music Department.
Inkwenkwezi School of Artistry is registered but does not yet have a bank account. The teachers in the project use their own funds to sustain the project.
They hosted a series of concerts to help raise funds; however, these weren’t enough and they are in dire need of funds for transporting teachers from out of town. Mavela travels from Makhanda; while other teachers are from East London and Hamburg.
Inkwenkwezi wish list to sustain the project:
Recorders: the recorders they have are old and worn out, some do not produce sound properly.
Stationery: printers, printing paper, pencils, pens, chalk, A5 books and flip files.
Music stands: they have two old music stands donated by
Rhodes but need more for ensemble practice and individual lessons.
Orchestral instruments: any orchestral instrument you’re willing to donate. The project hopes to introduce pupils to orchestral instruments when they show progress on the recorder, so that they can join orchestras and jazz, pop and classical ensembles.
Laptop computers for administrative work for the teachers.
Above all they really need funds for teacher travel costs. Taxi fares: Makhanda to Port Alfred: R140.
East London to Port Alfred: R250.
Hamburg to Port Alfred: R140.
Can you pay for an item on this list, or fund a return trip for a music teacher?
More about Mavela
Mavela is the founder and director of the Inkwenkwezi School of Artistry. He is a musician and music teacher with a love for sharing his passion. He began his musical education in 2010, learning recorder at the Keiskamma Music Academy in Hamburg.
Two years later he took up the flute with Helen Vosloo. Mavela has participated in a number of Eistoddfods, where he obtained multiple double gold awards for solo works.
He performed with the Camerata Tinta Barocca in Cape Town in 2015 and went on to tour England with the Keiskamma Music Academy.
He matriculated from St Charles Sojola High School in 2018 and went on to study at Rhodes University. He has played for the Rhodes University Orchestra, Makana Community Orchestra and Imbumba Freedom Orchestra. He currently plays first flute for the Makana Community Orchestra.
At Rhodes, he furthered his music studies with Dr Boudina McConnachie and Daniela Heunis.
His teaching career started in 2013 as a volunteer student teacher at the Keiskamma Music Academy. He later taught at other schools in and around Peddie and East London.
He has co-ordinated a number of projects in Makhanda, Hamburg, and now Port Alfred. He is a community engagement co-ordinator for Rhodes music department.