Afrikan Freedom Principle presents

Composers Workshop and the Living Legacy Concert Series

8 – 28 May 2017Mbabane (Swaziland), Maputo (Mozambique) Johannesburg (South Africa)The Afrikan Freedom Principle is a concert series that was initially set up in Cape Town in 2013. In recent years, it has functioned as an umbrella movement under which collaborations with luminaries such as Louis Tebogo Moholo Moholo (the last remaining band member of the highly influential Blue Notes and Brotherhood of Breath), Shabaka Hutchings (UK, winner of the 2013 MOBO award for Jazz), Dizu Plaatjies (founding member of Amampondo) and Errol Dyers (pioneer of Goema music) have taken place. In its 2017 incarnation, the Afrikan Freedom Principle travels to Mbabane (Swaziland), Maputo (Mozambique) and Johannesburg, specifically to investigate how these types of collaborations can be rearticulated into educational models for learner musicians.

 COMPOSERS WORKSHOP

From the 8th to the 28th of May 2017, the Afrikan Freedom Principle presents a program facilitated by musicians Matchume Zango (Mozambique), Cara Stacey (Swaziland) and Mandla Mlangeni (SA). These three regional composers of different musical backgrounds will meet to create music together and to facilitate workshops and performances with local students. In these, the importance of experimentation, improvisation, research techniques and local-derived foundational compositional methods will be emphasised in keeping with the focus of the Afrikan Freedom Principle: respectfully drawing on local, southern African cultural legacy to inform new, innovative musical practice. Spread out across various venues and educational institutions across Johannesburg, Mbabane and Maputo, Afrikan Freedom Principle aims to facilitate cultural participation at all levels through music and the arts. The Afrikan Freedom Principle Composers Workshop is generously supported by Concerts SA and the SAMRO Foundation, the ANT Funding Grant from Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

We invite you to join the journey of a unique musical offering between Cara Stacey, Mandla Mlangeni, and Matchume Zango.

Johannesburg Programme Schools Workshops

• Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music, 15 - 19 May, 14:30 - 16:30
• Wits Music Department, 15 - 19 May, 17:30 - 20:00S
• acred Heart College Music Department, 22 - 24 May, 10:00 - 13:00
• Soweto Theatre School Music Program, 22 - 24 May, 14:30 – 16:30

Project Partners:

MIAGI

The MIAGI Cape Gate Centre for Music (MCMC) runs an early music development program located at the historic Morris Isaacson High School. Afrikan Freedom Principle has partnered with MCMC in facilitating daily workshops and performances for schools and communities predominantly based in and around Soweto. Our artistic intervention is to create opportunities for communities, schools and institutions to experience and participate in cultural activity.In the build up tot he peformances, the daily program will include free public access to rehearsals and wokshops at MIAGI in Jabavu, Soweto. These workshops and rehearsals run between 15:00 to 16:00 and are facilitated by Matchume Zango, Mandla Mlangeni and Cara Stacey. A highlight of our program includes a teacher-student performance on Saturday 20 May 9:00am.

WITS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS: MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The Wits Music department is one of South Africa’s most innovative higher education music institutions, preparing students for diverse careers in music in the contemporary world. The visiting composers will present new works to be performed by students at venues across Johannesburg such as Niki’s Oasis and The Orbit Jazz Club. The Afrikan Freedom Principle will play host to facilitating an intensive performance program dedicated to exploring new musical territory. Young and established musicians will share their talents alongside regular and constant engagement with audiences. This will take place in the form of open rehearsals at venues where the public can freely access the music-making process.

SOWETO THEATRE

Soweto Theatre will host the Youth Development Program with students in Soweto. This  endeavour will feature the younger and older musicians providing workshops and advice to aspiring musicians. Multi instrumentalist Siya Makuzeni, the iconic Khaya Mahlangu and pioneers in the new SA jazz Marcus Wyatt and Steve Dyer will together team up with Louis Moholo to provide this unique and much needed intervention.  

THE ORBIT HOME OF JAZZ

Johannesburg’s premier jazz venue the Orbit will also play host to the eclectic music program offered by the Afrikan Freedom Principle. Acclaimed saxophonist Barney Rachabane will be accompanied by some of the city’s finest jazz musicians in the form of Yonela Mnana on piano, Amaeshi Ikechi on piano and Lungile Kunene on drums. You can also expect an equally compelling delivery from students of the Wits Music program together with resident composers, Zango, Stacey and Mlangeni.For further information:http://www.theorbit.co.za/tickets/http://www.amandlafreedom.com/tour-1/www.carastacey.comhttps://www.matchumezango.com/

About the Afrikan Freedom Principle:

We aim to create an incubator that will facilitate and encourage:

• Young and older established musicians to share their talents in the form of regular and constant engagement with audiences in the form of open rehearsal at venues where the public can freely access the music making process.
•  Access to Industry specific information presented in the form of seminars and workshops.
• Promote transnational collaboration through the sharing of expertise and networks with the focus of channeling new way of distributing quality music content.
• Increased public exposure of high quality music from established practitioners.
• A very integral part of our program is focusing on developing new material. Showcase the cross border collaborations to local audiences ,communities and schools. CMCM  in particular will be the point acces where disadvantaged and marginalised  communities and schools can  experience our offerings at discounted prices. 
• Afrikan Freedom Principle  through the Living Legacy Project aims to expose new and interesting work to people  who would otherwise have no access to a live performance showcase of the eclectic offerings .

Sponsors

Pro Helvetia Johannesburg has for some time been investing in transnational collaborations, exchanges and joint projects among organisations and creative practitioners operating across the SADC region, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Their investments are focused on projects, networks and platforms that have a shared interest in building a stronger regional creative fabric.

Concerts SA are a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed within the SAMRO Foundation. Concerts SA receive financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAMRO, the SAMRO Foundation and Concerts Norway. Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support to the sector through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa. It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and conducting workshops at schools.

For interview requests and access to high res photos please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 788 7632 and speak to Dee’s Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Afrikan Freedom Principle