Words by: Matthew Winfield
Here in South Africa, we tend to forget that a whole continent lies just north of us. Swamped by our dramas – be they Zexit or #DayZero – we ignore those of our close neighbours.
The same goes for our music industry. Perhaps it is because our music and history are so deeply enmeshed. Johnny Clegg and Miriam Makeba are as much musical icons as they are cultural, embodying our history, heritage, our ideologies.
When we look north, towards Africa, a whole world opens up to us. A world bursting with creativity. A vast plethora of musicians are exploring the unknown in art, film, music and TV – and doing so with immeasurable success!
Based on the signs, South Africa is already waking to this well of creativity. Nightscape at Design Indaba 2018 is an overdue tribute to these musos, featuring live artists from across Africa, including Kenya, Ghana and the DRC.
Kenyan DJ Blinky Bill is among Nightscape’s notable live acts in 2018. Blinky Bill rose to prominence with the success of his funk/house/disco four-piece in 2008.
Blurring the lines further is DJ Steloo. DJ Steloo is a Ghanaian artist and fashion mogul whose work draws on a range of influences, including house, dubstep and electronic genres.
As Nightscape demonstrates, our country has the power to host top artists from home and the continent. We host some of the top festivals in Africa. Surely, we can do more to showcase these artists – local and global – many of whom break barriers in the name of creativity.
We are giving away 2 pairs of tickets (4 tickets in total), to the Design Indaba’s Nightscape Festival. For more information and to stand a chance to win, visit our House & Garden SA Instagram page.
Photography: Supplied
