Pass Blog
SESASEDI SA TSODIO / SA KOŠA KE LEROLE: a screening of two film-essays

We are delighted to present a screening of two film-essays by Rangoato Hlasane – Sesasedi Sa Tsodio and Sa Koša Ke Lerole. Sesasedi Sa Tsodio delves into the kwaito DNA and its multiple umbilical cords searches for and celebrates the musicality of leleme la MaAfrika – sonic and phonetic aesthetics of black world making. The character of Tsodio as lyrical fiction/mythology travels through orature and storytelling in black musical and sonic histories of the past, present and future. Traveling banners, …
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, …
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 …
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”, …
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 …
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)
CLASS STRUGGLE IN MUSIC

We are please to invite you to unlaunch two daring books about music in the AfroAsian Seas: Ari Sitas’ Music Notebook (published by Chimurenga), and Sumangala Damodaran’s and Ari’s Maps of Sorrow, (published by Tulika in Delhi). Words and music selected by Ari and Sumi, books will be on sale. Chimurenga Factory – 157 Victoria Rd, Woodstock Thursday, 17 August 2023 from 6pm Please join us.
We are pleased to host veteran guitarist, composer and mbaqanga jazz revivalist Bheki Khoza at the Chimurenga Factory.
Bheki is a graduate of the legendary collective African Jazz Pioneers and has played with masters like Victor Ntoni, Winston Mankunku, Barney Rachabane, and more.
He also wrote the music for Zola Maseko’s award winning film Drum (2004).
For this session, he is accompanied by Allistair Gibbs (bass) and Nicholas Dlakavu (drums).
Friday, 26 April 2024, 7pm
Chimurenga Factory – 157 Victoria Rd, Woodstock
R150 pre-booked at 
