Scores of young people from around Gauteng arts schools and colleges came out in their numbers for the Joy of Jazz Jazz for Young People Master Classes and Jam Session held at the National School of Arts (NSA) in Braamfontein in a bid to raise funds for the school of talented young people.
Among those who dedicated their time to the fund-raising and development programme were NSA alumnus including jazz sensation, Zoë Modiga, Langa Mavuso, Linda Sikhakhane and award-winning South African Jazz Producer, Mpumi Dhlamini who kept young people engaged through a series of music performance and production workshops and lively jam sessions.
Modiga shared her musical journey as a student with big dreams of making it in the country’s cut throat music industry. Mavuso and Sikhakhane kept young people enchanted through their music improvisation class which saw a group of young talented singers showcase their abilities to use their voices as an improvisation tool.
Dhlamini, who teamed up with Mandla Mlangeni in their music composition workshop, was yet another experience for a group of young people. By the end of the session the students had already recorded their own song, showcasing once again the level of talent and skill it takes to compose music.
Speaking to The Star on the sidelines of the day-long fund raising event, Joy of Jazz event organiser and CEO of T-Musicman, Mantwa Chinoamadi, said the aim of the event was in keeping up with the spirit of Nelson Mandela whose passion was investing the youth.
The “Jazz for Young People” initiative is aimed at raising R500 000 for the renovations at the South African National School of Arts.
“We see this not only as an investment to the future of the next generation of jazz musicians who will one day perform at the Joy of Jazz festival, but as a bigger investment in he future of this country. We as the festival are doing our bit to help raise funds so that NSA is able to continue with its work of training and equipping our young people. Not only with theoretical training but with practical training, which is why call on those who are able to donate their instruments to do so for the future of our music heritage,” she said.
Meanwhile, the entire Gauteng Government and various departmental officials swelled the streets of the Joburg CBD for a massive city clean-up campaign as part of Nelson Mandela Day.
The campaign saw MEC for Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, together with senior officials from the department participate in the clean-up initiative at Bree Taxi Rank, while the Gauteng e-Government department participated in the distribution of panic buttons to elderly people in and around the city centre.
The Department of Economic Development celebrated the day by cleaning the Emirates Park precinct.
The series of Gauteng government events was part of the ‘Adopt a Project’ initiative, launched by Jozi My Jozi (JMJ) in collaboration with many stakeholders and partners including corporates, NGOs, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the City of Joburg, in the hope of turning every day into a Mandela Day.
“Today is one of the days that are renowned internationally, because it is one of the days that every person respects it and want to do something even if it is just for 67 minutes just to make a change that will make a difference in the lives of the people,” MEC for wellness and health, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
As part of its commemoration of the day, the Gauteng Department of Health embarked on a marathon of 700 surgeries across its public hospitals in the province.
The department said it was on track to meet this target.
“As at 2.30pm today,a total of 387 surgeries have been performed in various areas of specialities such as general surgeries, cataracts, arthroplasty and orthopedic among others,” the department said.
The Star