A Celebration of some of the continent’s most iconic creators is set to highlight the 55th Africa Day festivities in Joburg this weekend.
As usual, the 14th annual Bassline Festival in the cultural precinct of Newtown, which is renowned for its cosmopolitan feel, will host what the City of Joburg has dubbed an expression of Africa’s dynamism.
Hosted at Constitution Hill from tomorrow to Sunday, luminaries expected to light up the stage include legendary Malian Afropop crooner Salif Keita, who is expected to wow audiences with his timeless rendition of the anthem Africa, and Nigerian singer and song-writing, multi award-winning sensation Yemi Alade.
The African diaspora will also be well represented with the French reggae band Dub Incorporation; Brazilian pop princess Flavia Coelho; and Nathalie Natiembé from Reunion Island.
An international ensemble in the form of Japanese Ainu-music group Oki Dub Ainu Band, who are expected to bring their brand of reggae, dub and other styles of world music, will also grace the Constitution Hill stages.
South African multi-skilled singer-songwriter and actor Nakhane will also be wowing his legions of fans at the festival.
Nakhane, who recently made waves after his critically acclaimed performance in the movie Inxeba: The Wound, released his visually captivating music video for the gospel-like eclectic smash hit Interloper.
Describing his approach to the music video, Nakhane said: “I spent about three years writing Interloper. It first started out as a pornography-era The Cure homage. Then it morphed into a slow, acoustic, Iron & Wine thing.
“Ben Christophers (the producer) and I decided to make it a stomp and a romp.
“(It is) something that one could spin around to,” Nakhane contended.
He added that Interloper was “a song about irrational jealousy and anonymous sex”.
His upbringing ignited his love of music and unlocked his flair for performance, yet also taught him shame, which had proved difficult to rid him of.
Nakhane identifies as a proudly homosexual man, and he explains some of the difficulties he encountered during a Christian-influenced upbringing.
There will be legends galore at the festival, such as Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, who received a prestigious national award, the Order of Ikhamanga, last month, who will soothe revellers with his unique brand of Afro-jazz.
The region will also be popping over the weekend as Igoda is expected to take centre stage across four countries.
Igoda is a partnership born out of the Firefest Route, encompassing festivals from Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa and Reunion Island, including: Bassline Africa Day (Johannesburg), Azgo Festival (Maputo, Mozambique), MTN Bushfire (Malkerns, Swaziland), Sakifo Festival (St Pierre, Reunion) and Zakifo Festival (Durban) as the founding members.