Live Events
AFRICAN DAY – a listening session with Tete Mbambisa
We are delighted to host our elder, the pianist and composer Tete Mbambisa at the Chimurenga Factory on 27 March 2024 from 7pm, to celebrate the arrival of African Day, his latest LP.
The album was recorded during the heyday of the As-Shams label in 1976, but never released. It features the cream of South African jazz, including: Sipho Gumede (bass), Gilbert Matthews (drums), Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Duke Makasi, Basil Coetzee, and Barney Rachabane (reeds).
Bra Tete’s musical journey began in the mid-50s when he founded the vocal groups: the Four Yanks and the Junior Four Yanks (featuring a young Johnny Dyani). During the 1960s-70s, he performed as pianist with The Jazz Giants, The Jazz Disciples and The Soul Jazzmen. He has released four albums as a leader including Tete’s Big Sound (1976), Did You Tell Your Mother (1979), Black Heroes (2012), and One for Asa (2017).
Bra Tete will be in conversation with Zipho Dayile.
Wed, 27 March 2024 from 7pm
Chimurenga Factory – 157 Victoria Rd, Woodstock
Category: Live Events, News, Pass Blog
Tags: African Day, As-Shams, Barney Rachabane, Basil Coetzee, Dennis Mpale, Duke Makasi, Gilbert Matthews, Sipho Gumede, Tete Mbambisa
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Ubuhle Bendalo Community Arts Festival
We are proud to announce the 2nd edition of Ubuhle Bendalo,“the beauty of creation/nature”,an annual community arts festival organised by multi-disciplinary artist Breeze Yoko in collaboration with pan-African arts platform Chimurenga from 16 – 18 February 2024. Consisting of exhibitions, talks, workshops, performances and more, this year’s edition aims to bring our arts community together by providing a platform for engagement, collaboration and play. It features some of the country’s leading radical creators, including Mzwandile Buthelezi, Loyiso Mkhize, The Ninevites, …
Category: Live Events, News, Pass Blog, Pass Pop-up, Pass Radio
Tags: Breeze Yoko, Community Arts Festival, Ubuhle Bendalo
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A LIVE BROADCAST WITH DAMOLA OLOWADE
We’re delighted to host a listening with Lagos born, Pitori based rapper/producer Damola Owolade on PASS, Friday, 24 November from 7pm. Damola is one-half of the celebrated Pan Africanist prog-rap-folk duo Deep Dive Set, who harness the archaeological function of the hip-hop art form: excavating samples like fossils, fragments of forgotten history resurrected and immortalized by the very act of their discovery. The raw materials of Damola’s production come from sakara, apala, juju, fuji, highlife and other sounds in the …
Category: Live Events, News, Pass Blog, Pass Radio
Tags: apala, Damola Olowade, fuji, highlife, juju, sakara
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HOPHUIS: A SITE OF DANCE AND SOLIDARITY
The film and pumplet publication Hophuis (both directed by Ilze Wolff) document a series of journeys and activations at the Steinkopf Community Centre in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. The town of Steinkopf is situated in what was declared a “Coloured Reserve” by the apartheid government in 1948 – previously Kookfontein, it was renamed by German missionaries who settled there in the 18th century. Along with a new name, the missionaries brought what James Baldwin referred to as “theological terror”, …
Category: Live Events, News, Pass Blog
Tags: Carmen Cloete, hophuis, Ilze Wolff, Letitia Pandohe, Nicholae Young, ǂhoab Soreb
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LAUNCHING MINE MINE MINE
LIBERATION RADIO: BOKANI DYER’S RADIO SECHABA
As part of our ongoing study of the cultural work of liberation movements in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism, we’re proud to present a rare Cape Town performance of Bokani Dyer’s Radio Sechaba. Pianist Bokani Dyer is an inheritor of the spirit of the music unit of the liberationist, Gaborone-based Medu Arts Ensemble – famously led during the 1980s by Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekala, and featuring Bokani’s father, the saxophonist Steve Dyer. Radio Sechaba continues the search for …
Category: Liberation Radio, Live Events, News, Pass Blog
Tags: Bokani Dyer, Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Medu Arts Ensemble, Radio Sechaba
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EPISTROPHIES
We are pleased to present Epistrophies – groundings with Robin D.G. Kelley and Neo Muyanga – in praise and thanks for the melodious thunk of Thelonious Monk! We’ll also be screening Rewind & Play, Alain Gomis’ brilliant filmic take on Monk’s method. (Read more on the film here.) Saturday, 16 September 2023 from 6pm Chimurenga Factory (157 Victoria Rd, Woodstock)
Category: Live Events, News, Pass Blog
Tags: Neo Muyanga, Robin D.G. Kelley, Thelonious Monk
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Chimurenga presents AZANIA EP LISTENING SESSION
We are very pleased to host a deep listening of “Azania”, the debut ep of the almighty collective IPHUPHO L’ KA BIKO. Discourse by Nhlanhla Ngqaqu & Tumi Pheko of Iphupho, in conversation w Masixole Mlandu & Zizipho Bam; Selections by Manjik Mak; Word-sound by Tongue Twisters & Kitso Seti. From 6pm at Chimurenga Factory (157 Victoria Rd, Woodstock). Free entry.
GROUNATION – a tribute to the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
“Grounation Day” marks the landing of Emperor Selassie I in Jamaica on April 21, 1966. Count Ossie (Oswald Williams), the legendary percussionist and founder of the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, was among the artists who performed for the Emperor during his historic visit to Jamaica. In his yard called Rockfort at Wareika Hill on the outskirts of Kingston, Count Ossie had been hosting “groundations” (from groundings, the Rasta concept of mutual teachings) featuring musicians, poets and people from all walks …
Chimurenga presents GROUNATION
Chimurenga presents a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Grounation, the seminal album by Count Ossie & the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari with a unique performance of the music of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari. Shabaka & the Ancestors including Siyabonga Mthembu (vox), Mthunzi Mvubu (alto & flute), Kgethi Nkotsi (trombone), Gontse Makhene (Percussion), Tumi Mogorosi (drums), Ariel Zamonsky (bass) and Shabaka Hutchings (tenor & flutes), will join forces with legendary Cape Town MC, vocalist and bassist …