Folksy festival aims to soothe patrons
F YOU’RE looking for a relaxed day out with folk music to soothe your soul, don’t miss the Annual Freedom Day Folk Music and Singer Songwriter Festival on Saturday.
Nowin its third year, the event, which has become known as the Freedom Day Festival, takes place at the Sanctuary of Love grounds in Melville Beach, KwaZuluNatal South Coast.
In a nutshell, it is a local community art and craft day with creative stalls to raise funds for the sanctuary, which supports, among others, Angel Wings in Paddock and St Martins
IHome and is an opportunity to enjoy the tranquil sanctuary grounds and listen to the acoustic words and music of local musicians. During our interview, the organiser of the event, Dave Marks, explains what makes this festival different from other South African music events.
“It’s all about bringing the community and of course the musicians together. The people who attend the fest are extremely important, if not more important than the music. They make the event a success.
“Musicians are not there to show their faces, they are there to share. Sadly, other fests on television are selfish in that they are all “bump and grind” and it does not involve the people who come there to share the music. Our festivals are just about sharing stuff that we like, and that makes a difference. It’s not about the money. We will see how this year’s fest goes. It’s also important to get other sections of the community involved. It’s very segregated. We either have a handful of blacks or Asians so it’s nice to get everyone to come together. I’m not going to put out entertainment simply for the sake of making money because the problem there is that it only targets one specific group,” he says.
And there’s plenty of local talent in the line-up. The bill includes Leigh Hondy, Rene Tshiakanyi (singer and songwriter), The Jolly Jammers and more.
“The interesting thing is that like all my fests over the year, it doesn’t matter who is in the line-up. People know that if they come, they will hear something unique. They won’t necessarily be entertained, but it will be a good time.
“Other than me, all the acts are totally unheard of,” he says.
Chatting about the atmosphere at the Freedom Day event, Marks says it’s very laid-back and casual: “It’s something to be experienced. The sanctuary supports charities, not necessarily money but old clothes. We’re also giving a computer away to whoever donates the most impressive charity donation of goods or material.
“We encourage young kids to participate and play instruments even if they have to make them and just join in the fun. We don’t encourage iPads. It’s about the music. But it’s a family event and everyone from 80 down to zero is welcome to attend.”
Besides a day of folk music, there are loads of other activities available with over 25 stalls of local handcrafts, art and food.
Catch the Freedom day Folk Music and Singer Songwriter Festival on Saturday at the Sanctuary of Love grounds at Melville Beach, South Coast.