The event is in celebration of original South African music and indigenous artists. “With the support of our sponsors, we at Stable Theatre are honoured to have this opportunity of showcasing some of the great wealth of Maskandi artists who live in our region,” adds Zulu.
The Maskanda genre is memorably described on Ethekwini Online as “The music played by the man on the move, the modern minstrel, today’s troubadour … Maskanda has for years been the music of the man walking the long miles to court a bride, or to meet with his Chief; a means of transport. It is the music of the man who sings of his real life experiences, his daily joys and sorrows, his observations of the world. It’s the music of the man who’s got the Zulu blues.”
Nowadays, of course, Maskanda has ceased to be the exclusive cultural domain of male performers only. Following the legendary career of the late great Busi Mhlongo particularly, women are also making maskanda music.
Stable Theatre’s
Maskandi Festival on Saturday, 15 February will be spearheaded by popular maskandi groups Osenzeni and Vumile Mngoma. A powerhouse line-up number of other Maskandi groups will also appear on the bill as supporting acts. These include Bahube, Izintombi Zodumo, Amalanda Amhlophe, Izimbali Zempondo, Amagusheshe and Istorm.
Tickets for the Maskandi extravaganza, at just R50, can be obtained at Stable Theatre on the day of the festival. For more information, visit
www.stabletheatre.co.za. Alternatively, phone 031 309 2513, or email
stabletheatre@telkomsa.net.
With easy access off the N3 Warwick Triangle flyover, Stable Theatre is situated at 115 Johannes Nkosi Street (formerly Alice Street), and is supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, Ethekwini Municipality, the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, the National Arts Council and the KwaZulu-Natal Performing Arts Trust.