The Folklore Festival returns for another year of a vibrant celebration of African identity, culture, customs, and heritage on the 16th of September 2023 at the National School of the Arts in Braam Park, Johannesburg.
The festival taking place over Heritage Month promises an unforgettable experience, exploring a pan-African offering of music, literature, crafts and food for the whole family. A music concert on the main stage, workshops, a book fair on the storyteller’s stage, a kids area with drumming circles, playtime, singing and a safe place to leave your kids to play and learn – not forgetting traditional dancers off-stage, making for the best sensorial cultural experience in Johannesburg.
The first artists announced, who will be setting the stage and your souls ablaze and bringing you contemporary folk fusion at the second annual Folklore Festival 2023 this year are the electrifying poet, rapper and afro-centric Sho Madjozi (SA), ‘The Voice’ Vusi Mahlasela (SA), who is set to release his eighth studio album Umoya this September, and the enchanting Thandeka Mfinyongo (SA), the uhadi, mbira, percussive trio with Sis Lungiswa Plaatjies known as Ancient Voices (SA).
From Kenya this year, The Folklore Festival is excited to share an artist that fuses the Nyatiti (a genre of music and an eight-stringed instrument called Luo lyre) into modern sounds: Makadem (Kenya) featuring Eddie Grey, a visionary and trailblazer in the jazz and fusion scene in East and Central Africa.
Representing the heritage of Zimbabwe, Josh Meck will share a project celebrating the icons of music from his home country, immersing you in a symphony of cultural richness.
Last, but definitely not least, is South African advocate for World Music; DJ Nicky B, who will be returning for a daytime set, infusing the air with infectious beats and irresistible melodies.
Early bird tickets are available at: https://qkt.io/FolkloreFestival2023 from R80 for kids, and R100 for adults at a 50% discount until the 16th of August 2023.
The Folklore Festival is curated by the multi-award-winning storyteller and creative artist Pilani Bubu who is the founder and Festival Director. “In the heart of our collective existence lies a vibrant tapestry of human expression known as Folklore. It weaves together the soulful essence of a people, an intricate web of traditional wisdom, customs, and captivating tales cherished by generations past.
“Whispers carried on the winds of time, where words morph into dances, proverbs sing through melodies, and laughter echoes in the form of jokes. Such artistry, captured across diverse mediums, reflects the pulse of life within a community. Folklore is this collective documentation of art forms passed through generations by word of mouth,” she says.
“This festival prides itself in being a conduit for inter-generational dialogue, indigenous knowledge sharing, and the important documentation and preservation of African folklore as it re-defines itself through time and instilling a stronger sense of identity in ourselves as Africans.”
Also see: Watch: J’Something previews first-ever solo single
