13th Mzansi Fela Festival is on
STATE THEATRE: POWERHOUSES PLUS NEWCOMERS See DJ Maphorisa, Black Motion, Kabza de Small, Angola Camp 13 and Zoë Modiga.
The South African State Theatre has confirmed the 13th Annual Mzansi Fela Festival will take place from today to 27 December, following much uncertainty among fans about whether it would happen under the Covid-19 lockdown. Th e theatre says the jampacked billing features reigning Amapiano kings DJ Maphorisa and Kabza de Small, acclaimed Afro House duo Black Motion, multiple award-winning theatre musical Angola Camp 13, Marimba icon Ngwako Manamela, poet Makhafula Vilakazi, songbirds Zoë Modiga and Buhlebendalo, and many more live at the theatre.
Since its inception in 2007, this festival has arguably established itself as one of the leading festivals in Tshwane and Gauteng, if not the country at large. The Th festival val presents prese an exciting feast of local mu music, theatre, atre, dance, da comedy dy and p poetry. It is renowned nowned f for offering Mzansi’s premium talent. It does so while also givin giving a platform to the upand-coming. and-comi
Every year, the Mzansi Fela Festival takes t place when SA and the world is commemorating 16 Days of Activism in the No Violence lence a against Women and Children dren campaign. The theatre adds its voice to denouncing gend gender-based violence and fem femicide (GBVF), and for its launch today invites ev everyone to be part of its planned activities to observe World Aids Day.
This year’s instalment of the festival will be delivered under lockdown conditions. The concerts of DJ Maphorisa alongside Kabza de Small on Friday and Black Motion on Saturday will not be hosted inside a closed theatre, but in Africa’s largest theatre complex’s basement parking
Angola Camp 13, produced in association with Manti Makhulu, returns to the SA State Theatre from Thursday to Sunday after winning six Naledi Theatre Awards in September this year. Writer and director Sello Maseko won Best Director of a Musical and the production won Best Production of a Musical, among other awards.
The two awards belong to the pool of 13 won by the SA State Theatre for productions staged during the 2019 season.
Today, the theatre will be hosting a closed celebratory event, The Night of di-Naledi, to honour winners from productions Angola Camp 13, XOVA, My Children My Africa, and Aspoestertjie.
Award-winning jazz sensation Zoë Modiga will perform on Sunday, acclaimed songbird Buhlebendalo next Friday and emerging musician and songwriter Langa Mavuso on Saturday.
The three installations are produced in partnership with
BandaBanda Agency. The album launch of Makhafula Vilakazi’s Concerning Blacks will also be on Saturday.
The City of Tshwane is a partner in this installment of the festival which also features local talent in the form versatile and upcoming House musician DJ Senor Ice on Friday and Jonathan Groenewald, a rapper who is a person living with disability, on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, South Africa’s second black Vibrophone (Marimba) icon Ngwako Manamela will showcase the Marimba Band consisting of students from Soshanguve Music School.
The recently unveiled cutting edge online programme called SAST Fringe, which seeks to illuminate unconventional talent in the music scene, will continue under the Mzansi Fela Festival to rollout virtual music concerts live at the State Theatre.
Featured acts include Kabelo “Bonafide Billi” Togoe, PdotO, AZAH, Manakomba, Chad da Don, Mandla Ntlaks, Jacky Masekela, Itu Sings and TehillahMusic.