Johannesburg - Internationally acclaimed artist Dizu Plaatjies is among 190 musicians who will form part of the South African Music Exchange (SAME) festival that will be hosted in Johannesburg and the Eastern Cape this December.
The concert, which will take place at the Guy Butler Theatre in the Eastern Cape’s Makhanda on December 4 and then move to the Linder Auditorium in Joburg on December 8, will include musicians from all over the world and aims to create a platform for music exchange, education and collaboration.
Among the expected performers is acclaimed US-based violinist Regina Carter, composer and performer Ed Sarath, a 60-piece orchestra, an 80-piece choir and a 40- piece Marimba Band from Education Africa’s very own Marimba Hubs programme.
For Plaatjies, this opportunity is not only one to share his talent with music lovers but an opportunity to impart 43 years' worth of music knowledge that transcended the South African borders.
“Working with artists from different parts of the world is always exciting because it creates room to grow as an artist.
“It makes you perform beyond your comfort zone.
“It is an opportunity to explore the music space.
“This initiative is very special to me, and I think more South African artists and other people would learn a lot from this programme,” Plaatjies said.
For Plaatjies, such opportunities are where the fusion of different music cultures happens, and he says such a platform is a much-needed programme to uplift young artists.
“Let me take you back to when I first performed in Russia, where the Russia Symphony Orchestra backed me.
“That opportunity and space taught me so much that it does not matter what language one speaks but that music is a truly universal language that we all can understand and communicate through,” he said.
His years in the music industry have also allowed him to spot opportunities in the global scene, something he admits he would not have been able to do without exposure.
He believes the SAME platform will do for other upcoming artists what global platforms have done for him.
No stranger to imparting knowledge, Plaatjies has for 30 years focused on developing women in music, including his aunt Latozi “Madosini” Mpahleni.
The latter now enjoys an illustrious career playing her native isiXhosa instruments on international stages.
His passion for empowering music comes from losing his mother at the tender age of 5 years old.
Visibly touched by this, the 63 year old could not hold back his tears as he described the love he carries for his mother and therefore expressed that passion in uplifting others.
“I am moved to make a difference in the lives of others in honour of my mother, which is why I have dedicated an enormous part of my life to developing careers.
“There will be many others to be launched, including another budding artist, Dunyiswa Holweni, who will release her album next year.
“Now, I’ll be taking the very same music I’ve been carrying across the globe, playing with different orchestras to the concert so that the youth and other generations see our power and see opportunity in what we do.
“So they see that our traditional instruments can generate an income.
“SAME is going to be exciting,” he said.
The SAME festival, which promises to take global music lovers around the world, has been endorsed by both the Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou Foundations and also enjoys support from other organisations and universities around the world, such as well the International Society for Improvised Music and the International Consortium for Academic and Societal Transformation.
The Eastern Cape-born artist, who is also the founder and former leader of the South African group, Amampondo, spoke about how he was excited to be part of the SAME programme.
With his illustrious career under his belt, he said he did not know he would end up where he is today, considering how difficult things were for black people to penetrate the music industry and how traditional music was not popular back then.
“When I look back, I think about how great my ancestors were to give me such a great opportunity.
“They gave me a platform to be proud of who I am, using my traditional instruments.
“I have done so much with life using these instruments, and I am always grateful when people appreciate the type of music we do,” he said.
Plaatjies said collaborations were essential in the music industry because they did not only benefit the artists but the various music genres and music lovers.