Africa is in the midst of a creative revolution. A new breed of artists, musicians, and fashion designers are changing how the world sees and thinks about Africa and its people. And to celebrate this new dawn of creativity, Joburg is getting a festival.
One Source Live is a day-long festival celebrating the transformative power of African creativity spanning music, fashion, art and photography.
Happening in two parts, with a day and a night programme, the multi-level event will take place at the 1 Eloff Precinct in down-town Joburg bringing together leaders of a new breed of creative revolutionaries changing the way the world sees Africa.
The festival will see legendary kwaito group Bongo Maffin, led by award-winning singer and songwriter Thandiswa Mazwai, take to the stage in what will be a historic reunion after 12 years apart.
Iris LeBerg, global marketing manager at The Absolut Company, who is putting the festival together, said that the idea came about from wanting to create a platform for local artists.
“We want to provide a platform for this amazing work to be shown and enjoyed by everyone that likes to be part of this multi-level event,” she said.
“Art is in Absolut’s DNA. In 1986, Andy Warhol became enamoured by the Swedish brand’s apothecary-inspired bottle, declaring: ‘I love the design. I want to do something with it.’
“And so began a relationship that snowballed into 600 more collaborations with artists.
“However, we felt that African artists are under-represented in the global context, hence we wanted to provide a platform for artists to show their art to the world while delivering a unique experience to the wider audience,” she said.
The festival will include performances by Khuli Chana, DJ Maphirosa, Youngsta, Sho Madjozi and Nigeria’s Patoranking. South African stylist and multimedia visual artist Trevor Stuurman, Belgium-born Senegalese artist Fabrice Monteiro and renowned Kenyan photographer Osborne Macharia will also participate.
“We hope that the One Source Live festival becomes an established platform for artists and leads to creative collaboration that we can all enjoy in the
future.
“We hope everyone who will attend the festival will feel part of something bigger, a creative revolution that is taking over the continent and changes the way the world sees Africa,” said LeBerg.
She also said that One Source Live is not just another festival, it’s a movement and it’s a creative revolution.
“It’s an opportunity for Africans to be part of a multi-level festival that leaves you with unforgettable interactive experiences across all different categories and musical highlights such as Patoranking and DJ Maphorisa.
“It’s an event that Africa hasn’t seen before.”
The festival take place on Saturday, March 24. Tickets at www.onesourcelive.com. Ticket prices are R250 (early bird), R290 (general access) and VIP table bookings start at R6000.