South Africa: Moshito conference goes back in time

This year’s conference and exhibition is centred on the genesis of traditional African music under the theme Rhythms of the Ancients. Former Amampondo bandleader and percussionist Dizu Plaatjies as well as singer Candy Tsa-Mandebele have been chosen as the faces of Moshito 2017.

The event programme will include workshops and talks revolving around locating the existence of ancient traditional music amid a modern landscape of pop music. There will also be a conversation about ‘decolonising the airwaves’, which will question whether or not there is a need for broadcasting a majority of local music, or if the audience’s interests should be taken into consideration.

In the spirit of exploring the heritage of music, the conference will take place in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, which has recently seen a number of live venues close down. “Newtown should not just become a cultural precinct that will be defined as ‘used to be’ or ‘was’,” Moshito chairperson Sipho Sithole said. “The history of Newtown as a reservoir for all things artistic, music and creative cannot be ignored, hence our decision to go back [there]. This is where Moshito was born and it's a natural consequence that we should reoccupy that space.”

The 2016 Moshito Music Conference was held at the South African Broadcasting Corporation complex in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. This year’s conference, the organisers say, “is poised to be a place where music meets business and business meets music”.

The festival’s programming includes showcases and concerts where music industry practitioners, musicians, festival promoters, booking agents, music managers and exhibitors will be present.

The number of delegates attending the conference has increased over the years and now includes Doa Doa Music Market (Uganda), Zanzibar Film Festival (Tanzania), ONGEA! (Kenya), Musica Minas (Brazil), Visa for Music (Morocco), Atlantic Music Expo (Cape Verde), the Indian Ocean Music Market (Reunion Island), MOMIX (Mauritius), the National Arts Council of Seychelles, Earth Synch (India) and the Cross Cultural Festival (Poland), among others.

Moshito 2017 will also feature a demo competition that will see one lucky musician walk away with a prize of R20 000 ($1 500) to jumpstart their music career. The competition will require musicians to present their demos to a panel of music professionals who will pick the winner.

The three-day festival will start with the Opening Night Concert on 6 September followed by the Afro-World Concert on 7 September at the Soweto Theatre and the free Street Festival on 9 September.

For more information, visit the Moshito official website.