Dominic Adriaanse
AN AFRICAN Musicians’ Trust is being launched tonight to support musicians entering the industry – and, most of all, to help senior professionals to live out their twilight years in dignity.
Ambitious in its scope, the trust has been set up to provide benefits for musicians, including a pension or provident fund and medical aid. It will also seek to provide financial assistance to musicians struggling to make ends meet.
The founder of the trust, well-known Cape Town musician, Glenn Robertson, said the thrust of the new organisation would be to support both older and younger members of the music fraternity.
He said he first had the idea in the early 1990s, shortly after he entered the ministry. He became even more determined after either officiating at, or attending, funerals of such greats as Robbie Jansen, Hotep Idris Galeta and Winston Mankunku Ngozi.
It was his awareness of how many luminaries of the industry struggle to survive that drove him to get this project off the ground, Robertson said.
The trust would serve as a platform for young artists to learn about the industry and about how to look after themselves once they were in it, he added.
“You’d be surprised at the level of talent in the province. We have a big task to empower and nurture these talents,” Robertson said.
“Winter is also upon us and it will be a struggle for both older and younger musicians,” he said. Legendary jazz guitarist Sammy Webber is one of those. “I received a diagnosis in 2010 of neuromyelitis optica, an auto-immune disease which predominantly affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. My sight has deteriorated and now I am only able to see light and shadows.”
With the help of the trust, and of Sekunjalo Investment, Webber said he would be able to pay his medical bills.
“I am very grateful for the help I have received and my hope is that the trust will keep growing. I would also like to see young musicians not lose their drive. This is a tough life, but there is always a way.”
Young musician Donveno Prins became involved after working with Robertson.
“You often don’t think of things like medical aid and a pension. After seeing how my idol, Robbie Jansen, went down, it was heartbreaking,” said Prins.
The launch is at 6.30pm and any musicians or music lovers wishing to get involved can contact Kaleidscope at 021 674 5761 or 076 489 1478.