Veteran musician Freddie Gwala mesmerizing the crowd at Market @The Sheds. Picture: market_thesheds/Instagram
US music producer Rick Rubin once said good music stands the test of time because it resonates with universal truths.
This was the case this past weekend as music veteran Freddie Gwala had an audience whom most weren’t born when he released his classic hits, dancing to songs decades ago.
Gwala was the headline act of the Market @The Sheds in Sophiatown Kofifi festival on Saturday at Pretoria’s Market @The Sheds.
Market @The Sheds is the second highest-rated food market in Africa and, after Joburg’s Victoria Yards. Market @The Sheds is rated 15 for Tourists Markets globally, while Victoria Yards ranks the seventh highest in the world.
This is according to Merchant Machine who analysed publicly available review data from TripAdvisor and ranked listings tagged “farmers market” or “street and flea market” by their percentage of five-star reviews.
Hosted hosted at 012central, Market @The Sheds usually takes place on the first Saturday of the month, with dates sometimes changing over long weekends. Attracting over 50 food and fashion stalls with live performances.
ALSO READ: Joburg market rated 7th best in the world
Market @The Sheds gave the past weekend’s instalment a Sophiatown Kofifi-theme paying homage to the music and style of Sophiatown.
Sophiatown was a poor multi-racial area and a black cultural hub in Johannesburg that was destroyed under apartheid in the 1950s after the National Party government passed the Group Areas Act.
The area produced some of South Africa’s most famous writers, musicians, politicians and artists, like Father Huddleston, Can Themba and Bloke Modisane. The latter published a book titled Blame me on History detailing his life before and during the forced removals and his eventual move abroad.
The Sophiatown Kofifi-theme was heeded by patrons at Market @The Sheds, with a handful looking like they came out of the 50s. The music that raced out of the speakers would’ve had the ghosts of Sophiatown smiling in their graves.
ALSO READ: Back of the Moon review – Nostalgic look at Sophiatown
Gwala formed and composed music for groups Pure Gold and Platform One. His classic hit song Amadamara is one song that defines him.
The song was released in 1992 and it is still a banger.
The ditty is about a man who is complaining about losing his sweetheart because of Amadara, a gang that existed in Mzimhlophe in the 1960s.
“I grew up seeing older brothers being chased by police. They will come back after a while. They will share their jail experience once they come out. I learnt that jail was not suitable for human beings,’ Gwala said in an interview with the Sowetan last year.
“When I started my solo career, I wanted a sound that would capture what was happening at that time.”
NOW READ: Banned autobiography on apartheid republished 60 years later
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