UJ Arts & Culture in partnership with The Wits School of Arts\u2019 Cultural Policy and Management Department and The University of KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s Centre for Creative Arts present a Spring Celebration Programme on 2 and 3 September 2022.<\/p>\n
This intergenerational programme proudly features Abbey Cindi\u2019s \u2018United States of Africa\u2019 on the evening of 3 September. A living legend, uBab\u2019 uCindi is a founding member of the Malombo Jazz Makers and veteran cultural activist from Mamelodi. His set will include a musical dialogue with the award-winning a cappella ensemble No Limits. His performance is followed by Zo\u00eb Modiga, fresh from the North Sea Jazz Festival, which marks the end of the on-campus proceedings before audience members are invited to join the After Party set to take place at Chiesa in Melville.<\/p>\n
\u201cUJ Arts & Culture is delighted to bring this robust range of partners together with the shared goal of offering an exciting intergenerational cultural experience in celebration of Heritage Month,\u201d says Pieter Jacobs, Head of UJ Arts & Culture. \u201cIn addition to the arts playing a role in the preservation of our rich history and heritage, it has the potential to transcend generational gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s live music programme kicks off mid-afternoon, when the UJ Arts Centre will come alive with the community spirit of old-school jazz DJs and diga dancers on the piazza, providing an authentic jazz experience by the Tshwane-based community jazz appreciators, organisers and activists, the Cosmopolitan Collective. This unique collective brings together interconnected communities of practice from Mamelodi and its surrounds: jazz collectors and appreciators, dancers, musicians and heritage activists who are collaborating with educational institutions within and beyond township settings to innovate new ways of sustaining grassroots jazz cultures.<\/p>\n
The Jazz Celebration Programme starts on Friday 2 September with \u2018Jazz as Heritage\u2019, a panel discussion and an oral history performance honouring uBab\u2019 Abbey Cindi which will be live-streamed on UJ Arts & Culture\u2019s Facebook page and other digital platforms. One of the goals of this intergenerational initiative, supported by The Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF), is to keep the Malombo jazz heritage alive and to share it with younger generations of collectors and appreciators through streaming on social media platforms. The Cosmopolitan Collective\u2019s participation is also supported by Arts Research Africa (ARA) in the Wits School of Arts, which advances arts and practice-led research and public humanities programming.<\/p>\n
Following \u2018Jazz as Heritage\u2019, the Centre for Jazz at the University of KwaZulu-Natal will present a discussion on Jazz Education by Jazz pianist, composer and educator Neil Gonsalves.<\/p>\n
On Saturday 3 September, musicians and artists are invited to attend a free workshop presented by the Centre of Creative Arts (UKZN). Its director, Ismail Mahomed, who brings with him more than 35 years of experience in cultural leadership positions and with a knack for brokering partnerships and raising funds and Siphindile Hlongwa, the Centre\u2019s Senior Administrator and Programmes Co-curator, will discuss the elements of fundraising and effective proposal writing during a workshop titled \u2018Understanding the funding landscape\u2019.<\/p>\n
THE PROGRAMME<\/b><\/p>\n
JAZZ AS HERITAGE<\/b><\/p>\n
2 September :: 11:00 – 13:00<\/p>\n
Virtual (Free)<\/p>\n
UJ Arts & Culture\u2019s Facebook page and other digital platforms<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UJArtsCulture<\/p>\n
This panel discussion will be followed by a screening of an oral history performance honouring uBab\u2019 Abbey Cindi, initiated by the Mamelodi Arts and Culture Forum. \u2018Jazz as Heritage\u2019 is presented by Wits School of Arts, UJ Arts & Culture, the University of KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s Centre for Creative Arts, and the Mamelodi Arts & Culture Forum (MACFO) in partnership with Concerts SA, Music in Africa Foundation, Cosmopolitan Collective, Arts Research Africa, Cultural Policy & Management department at Wits, and Wits History Workshop.<\/p>\n
MY EARLY JAZZ EDUCATION (AND THE ONE I WANT FOR MY STUDENTS)<\/b><\/p>\n
2 September :: 14:00 – 15:30<\/p>\n
Physical session at the Tunkie Studio at the UJ Arts Centre (Free)<\/p>\n
Click\u00a0here<\/b><\/a>\u00a0to apply.<\/p>\n Jazz pianist, composer and educator, Neil Gonsalves details his first year of study in the jazz studies program founded by Prof Darius Brubeck at the University of Natal in 1989 when he joined a cohort of students including Johnny Mekoa, Zim Ngqawana, Lulu Gontsana, Feya Faku and many other luminaries of South African jazz. In a teaching and performance career spanning 30 years, it stands out as a seminal year and transformative experience that continues to guide his basic philosophy about music and music education, even as the music, social, cultural and political landscape continues to evolve. This workshop is presented by the Centre of Jazz at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in partnership with the Centre for Creative Arts and UJ Arts & Culture.<\/p>\n UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDING LANDSCAPE<\/b><\/p>\n 3 September :: 14:00 – 15:30<\/p>\n Physical workshop at the Tunkie Studio at the UJ Arts Centre (Free)<\/p>\n