Zakifo lights the Durban art scene
Zakifo is a destination festival, a people to people encounter and we guarantee you that over the years this festival will become part of travelers' annual calendar coming from all over the world."
SAKIFO means what is needed in Creole, and when Zakifo music festival director, Jerome Galabert declared that the intention of hosting Zakifo Durban was to answer the call of the city’s creative voices, he wasn’t joking.
For many years Durban has been known as an uneasy city for creatives despite being an incubator for countless talented individuals who came from Durban and went on to conquer the art world. Before Zakifo, the city’s art scene bubbled beneath the surface, not quite as bold and direct as Cape Town and Johannesburg. However, following this weekend’s super-festival, which took place at Durban’s Blue Lagoon beach on the promenade, the art scene has been injected with the much needed energy to keep it alive.
The Blue Lagoon beach was transformed into a cultural area, with huge stages, food carts and stalls, craft beer bars, local traders and interactive installation art exhibits.
Despite the chilly weather, hundreds of music lovers were treated to an astonishing musical line up which included Damian Marley (USA/ Jamaican reggae artist and youngest son of reggae musician Bob Marley); Birdy Nam Nam (DJ crew from France); Ray Phiri (respected South African jazz, fusion and mbaqanga musician); Petite Noir (Belgian / South African singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer); Bongeziwe Mabandla (singer / song writer, guitarist and two time SAMA nominee known for his blend of urban-African folk); Thandiswa Mazwai (socially-conscious musician who incorporates mbaganga, reggae, traditional Xhosa rhythms, kwaito, jazz and funk into her music); Nova Twins (urban punk London duo – Amy Love: vocals, guitar and Georgia South: bass, backing vocals).
One of the festival partners Sipho Sithole said: “Zakifo is a destination festival, a people to people encounter and we guarantee you that over the years this festival will become part of the travellers’ annual calendar coming from all over the world.”
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