Jazz festival to headline activities
Lots in store for Heritage Month
Komani, hailed the Little Jazz Town, is set to bustle with life when the Chris Hani Jazz Festival takes centre stage as the main event for this year’s Heritage and Tourism Month celebrations.
Top jazz artists are set to enthrall local fans, but the lineup is still to be announced.
Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) acting mayor Sibongile Mbotshane, standing in for Wongam Gela, shared the news at a press briefing on Wednesday, where he unveiled the exciting activities set to take place in the district this month.
The municipality is hosting the jazz festival in partnership with the department of sport, recreation, arts & culture (Dsrac).
Mbotshane, who is also the integrated planning and economic development portfolio head, said: “The purpose of the event is to contribute towards the development and preservation of jazz talent in the district and the province.
“A lineup of performers will be shared in due course.”
Other activities he outlined will serve as a build-up to the jazz festival.
“The district municipality has partnered with hosting local municipalities to ensure the success of these events.
“The activities are tailor-made to suit all categories of the population, the young and the old.
“This year’s theme will be driving the narrative of Celebrating the Legacy of Solomon Linda and South Africa’s Indigenous Music”.
He said this year marked the 60th anniversary of singer and songwriter Linda’s passing.
“He is best known as the composer of the song Mbube, which later became the popular music success The Lion Sleeps Tonight and gave its name to the Mbube style of isicathamiya acapella music.”
Mbotshane said Heritage Month also provided an opportunity to commemorate the late resistance and liberation struggle icons to honour their contributions towards a free and democratic SA.
The first event held was an essay writing competition on the late John Knox Bokwe, in which grade 12 pupils from district schools participated, in Qamata Great Place.
The event was hosted by Dsrac in collaboration with the AbaThembu Royal Council, CHDM and Intsika Yethu Local Municipality.
Traditional Horse Racing is another of the activities planned, at which jockeys from within and outside the district will compete.
“This is a build-up event towards the Berlin Horse Racing event which usually takes place in Berlin every November. The event is led by Intsika Yethu Local Municipality.
“It aims to expose local jockeys to activities that will hone their skills, paving the way for them to participate in bigger events.”
The horse racing event is usually paired with a fashion show but due to financial constraints, Mbotshane said it could not be included this year.
A maskhandi District Cultural Festival celebrating cultural diversity in the district will be led by Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality.
The annual Indigenous Cultural Festival in Ngqoko village, driven by Emalahleni Local Municipality and endorsed by the local traditional authority, will also be held.
The province will also launch Dr AB Xuma Local Municipality as the official name of the former Ngcobo Municipality.
This will be combined with the unveiling of the Walter Sisulu and AB Xuma statues, with a memorial lecture included.
“It is our intention to implement programmes that will unite the community of CHDM in its diversity, while we strive to build socially cohesive communities through inclusive collaborative activities,” Mbotshane said.