AFRICA is on fire!
these are the opening words to the popular and visionary song One Source by Khuli Chana. The song talks about Africa taking a stand, owning what is its, and being revolutionary and united in all it does.
The song, which featured KayGizm, Kenya’s Victoria Kimani and Ghana’s Sarkodie, became the best-selling record on iTunes after its release in October last year.
The hit-making king of motswako is back at it again, and this time he has extended his partnership with Absolut to create One Source Live (OSL) - a festival of African creativity.
On Tuesday night, Shine Studios in Braamfontein was “torched up” with a media preview to launch the event.
On March 24, 2018, African “creative revolutionaries”will gather in Joburg for an all-day live event with multiple stages, performances and collaborations geared at “rewriting Africa’s story”.
“We can change the way the world sees Africa. The continent is in the midst of a creative revolution. A new breed of artists, musicians and fashion designers are changing how the world sees and thinks about Africa and its people,” said Chana.
•One Source Live• Launching in 2018. #BeAbsolut pic.twitter.com/DtbSlFCblI
— Absolut Vodka SA (@AbsolutSA) November 21, 2017
OSL will witness a collaboration led by award-winning Chana, Ndebele sensation Sho Madjozi, fashion aficionado Trevor Stuurman, and photo- graphers Fabrice Monteiro (Benin/Senegal) and Osborne Macharia (Kenya).
OSL portrays the five as superheroes - avatars inspired by Africa’s history, mythology and “bright future”.
Guests were treated to personalised cocktails which represented the true persona of the five creative revolutionaries.
The Absolut cocktails consisted of the flavours: Absolut Lime, Absolut Citron, Absolut, Absolut Kurant and Absolut Mandarin.
The distinctive cocktails were The iron warrior, The explorer, The dragon, The rain queen and The eye.
Musician, Sho Madjozi said the role of the rain queen, resonated perfectly with her.
"I always wanted to change the atmosphere, and that is what happens when I step into a place with my xibelani and my signature music. A rain queen changed the weather and as you know, people associate Limpopo with lightning, so I could easily play the part of the rain queen," she laughed.
Absolutely stunning 😍 @ShoMadjozi #BeAbsolut pic.twitter.com/rxEhWktJme
— Total Exposure (@TotalExposure) November 21, 2017
Khuli Chana played the role of The Dragon. He said the character fitted him well because his voice was the superpower he used to build and inspire the masses.
Behind the campaign is a call for “all Africans to join the creative revolution” and change the way African creativity is represented online. This aims to replace the dominance of curio images with a “true reflection” of African creativity with more images of contemporary African art. People can visit OneSourceLive.com to get involved.
Iris LeBerg, global marketing manager at The Absolut Company, said it was a shared belief that allowed the partnership to work.
“Absolut has a history of supporting artists and standing up for the rights of communities - whether LGBT or female power/rights. One Source Live underscores our belief that creatives are the real leaders who can rewrite and re-create the kind of change modern Africa is poised to own.”
She said that bringing the five together was a platform to highlight the continent as the “creative engine of the world”.
“One Source Live is a movement that promotes a proud and authentic African identity by reminding people that we all come from one source.”
Chana is an Absolut ambassador who has been leading the revolution.
“This project defines what being a creative revolutionary means to me - the courage to unite in the face of all physical, cultural, and political boundaries and differences as Mama Africa’s offspring and make her shine, to make her proud, to make her smile.”
He said this was an important part of the African Renaissance.
“Africa’s creative awakening is ushering in a new era in world entertainment and in the global arts sector.”
As the lyrics go on the One Source hit track: “Africa is no longer running shotgun.”
@mane_mpi