(Sipho
‘Hotstix’ Mabuse)
The fourth annual Zakifo Music Festival is
hitting Durban’s shores on May 25, 26 and 27, and promises a wide-ranging
line-up of cutting-edge musicians from across the African continent and beyond.
This year the festival will be spread
across three iconic Durban venues - the BAT Centre, Views at Twenty5, and Blue
Lagoon Beach.
Kicking off the festival on Friday night is
a fundraising concert for the Nelson Mandela Foundation at the BAT Centre,
featuring Sekou Kouyate, a renowned kora player from Guinea, and Elida Almeida,
a young Cape Verdean folk singer. Headlining the evening is South African icon
Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse. This event is ticketed separately from the rest of the
festival.
From there the festivities move to Views @
Twenty5 in Morningside for the rest of Friday night and Saturday night. This
exceptional rooftop venue offers panoramic views of the city of Durban, the
perfect backdrop for the evening’s performances by Nasty C, DJ Lag, Flavia
Coelho, Nathalie Natiembé, DJ Doowap, Oki Dub Ainu Band, and K-$.
Answering the call of the Indian Ocean,
Zakifo returns to Blue Lagoon Beach on Sunday for the final day of the festival
with Alice Phoebe Lou, Nakhane, Dub Inc, Guy Buttery and Kanada Narahari, and
major international act Aloe Blacc.
Best known for his hit single I Need A Dollar and for featuring on
Avicii’s Wake Me Up, Blacc has proved
himself a singer/songwriter with an irresistible power to capture the
complexities of human emotion. Originally signed to Stones’ Throw Records, Blacc
has over the years evolved his sound from hip hop inspired by the likes of
Public Enemy, The Pharcyde, and De La Soul to a smooth array of pop, folk and
soul paired with poetic yet incisive lyrics, huge hooks and relentless
feel-good grooves.
Each year a host of satellite events,
workshops, and parties linked to the festival occur in the week leading up to
the main event. These industry-focused events act as a platform for exchanging
knowledge and experiences, a necessary bridge between established industry
professionals and up-and-coming artists, giving Zakifo relevance beyond the
festival gates.
Zakifo aspires to strengthen ties between
the cultural communities of the Indian Ocean through its sister festival,
Sakifo, held each year in Réunion. Zakifo, founded by Jerome Galabert, Sipho
Sithole and Andy Davis, is a member of the Igoda music festival circuit which
includes Sakifo Festival in Réunion, Azgo Festival in Mozambique, Bassline
Africa Day concert in Johannesburg, and Bushfire Festival in Swaziland. These
festivals happen over a period of three weeks in May and June and have created
an artist and festivalgoer touring circuit in the Southern African region.
“Sakifo means ‘what is needed’ in Creole,”
says Galabert. “With Zakifo Durban our intention is the same. Through our
world-class line-up we strive to inspire and create lasting opportunities for
collaboration; cross-cultural exchanges; economic opportunities and skills
development.”
"This partnership with Réunion Island
has been a dream of mine. I have attended a number of music festivals
internationally and there was no better choice and fit than Zakifo to bring to
South Africa, particularly my home town and province. Zakifo is a destination
festival, a people to people encounter and we guarantee you that over the years
this festival will become part of travellers’ annual calendar coming from all
over the world,” said Sipho Sithole, one of the festival partners and
founder/owner of Native Rhythms.
The line-up of performers this year
includes:
-Aloe Blacc (USA) - chart-topping soul/funk
singer and songwriter. Wrote the number 1 hit “I Need a Dollar” and featured on
Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”
-Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse (RSA) - South
African musical legend and funk, pop and soul artist
-Alice Phoebe Lou (RSA/Germany) -
independent blues/folk artist from Cape Town, currently based in Berlin
-Dub Inc (France) - reggae/dancehall band
from Saint-Éttienne; fuse classic roots reggae with dub, dancehall, ska,
hip-hop and African influences
-Flavia Coelho (Brazil) - a hybrid blend of
samba and bossa nova sounds and reggae and hip hop rhythms
-Nasty C (RSA) - easily one of the most
exciting acts on the South African hip-hop scene; born and bred in Durban, at
21 Nasty C has carved out his own niche
-DJ Doowap (RSA) - live mix DJ playing a
selection of bass, dubstep and trap
-Nakhane (RSA) - SAMA award-winner and
rising star in South African music
-K-$ (RSA) - plays throwback disco, funk
and soul-heavy DJ sets
-Femi Koya (Nigeria/RSA) - “the new face of
the African Renaissance”; a rich blend of afrobeat, highlife and
Sophiatown-influenced jazz
-DJ Lag (RSA) - the Gqom King; pioneer of
iconic Durban house sub-genre gqom
-Elida Almeida (Cape Verde) - Cape Verdean
beats fused with Latino energy
-BCUC (RSA) - “indigenous funky soul”; a
politically-charged and truly South African sound
-Nathalie Natiembé (Réunion) - beloved
Réunion singer; creates an amalgam of rock, funk and traditional Creole music
-Guy Buttery and Kanada Narahari
(RSA/India) - South African guitar virtuoso and accomplished Indian sitar
player; driven by their mutual curiosity in each other’s diverse musical worlds
-Sekou Kouyate (Guinea) -
multi-award-winning musician; regarded as one of the world’s best kora players
-Oki Dub Ainu Band (Japan) - blending the
music of the Ainu people of Japan with dub, reggae and afrobeat grooves
-Siseko Pame (RSA) - ethno-soul laced with
Xhosa folk harmonies, violin, and Pame’s emotive, earthy voice
-Pussy Party (RSA) - an all-womxn DJ
platform with a rotating line-up that exists to create a regular opportunity
for female DJs and artists to practice, incubate, exchange, and expose
-The Sun Xa Experiment (RSA) - world music
influenced by jazz, hip hop and traditional and ancestral sounds
-ByLwansta (RSA) - ByLwansta constructs
conversational raps laden with brutal honesty and vivid story-telling,
delivered in a style that emanates a soulful and mellow vigor
-Baraka (RSA) - blending deep house,
kwaito, jazz, future soul and world sounds with the intention to create an
atmosphere of love, inviting upliftment and transformation
Zakifo would like to thank their partners
The Department of Arts and Culture, Air Austral, eThekwini Municipality, Durban
Tourism and Alliance Française for their continued support of the festival.
Tickets are available via Nutickets:
R500 - 3-day weekend pass (excl. Madiba
concert)
R150 - Friday pass - Views @ Twenty5
R150 - Saturday pass - Views @ Twenty5
R300 - Sunday pass - Blue Lagoon Beach
R300 - Friday Madiba concert - BAT Centre
Zakifo Music Festival runs from May 25 to
27 at the BAT Centre, Views @ Twenty5, Blue Lagoon Beach, Durban.
A full event breakdown is available on
www.zakifo.com
Instagram: @zakifofest
Twitter: @zakifomusikfest
Facebook: @zakifofest
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