By Dideka Njemla
Melodic chants filled the air of The Black Power Station as the Kwantu Choir rehearsed their performances, which would later be showcased on the stage. People began to occupy the space, and the panellists took their seats. “Freedom extends beyond you,” said the visionary behind The Black Power Station, Xolile Madinda.
The atmosphere was pungent with incense, bringing a sense of cultural togetherness. The culture of creativity, the culture of freedom, the culture of unity and co-operating cultures. Black, brown and white. In a room full of creatives, artists and ubuntu, one wanted to hear the various perspectives of freedom.
Launching the Freedom Day dialogue, Rhodes Music Radio’s Station Manager, Unathi Koboka, posed several questions around the theme. “Inkululeko ibalulekile. Are we free? What is it that we are now free of? Yes, we may say that we are free from apartheid. But are we free from its systems and policies?” Adding more context to her questions, she continued, “Let’s shift it away from the government and back to us and the various areas where we may have some level of control. How free are our spaces? Where can we influence change, and what are we doing? Within the spaces that we occupy, we are stifled by limitations, which are the systems of apartheid. So, let me ask, how free are we when we talk about Freedom Day? How do we get ourselves to step out of these systems and policies and have our voices heard?”
The audience sat quietly after hearing these thought-stirring questions. After leaving many in deep thought, she allowed her words to sink in and spoke. “We need to have meaningful conversations and carry them to other spaces. Do you have room to speak in the spaces that you occupy? We know of songs from African legends who communicated through music. They were passing on the message, and because of that, music and sounds cannot be removed from the chat of freedom because they played an important role. People were saying their say and proudly so,” she said. Koboka highlighted that the Black Power Station is an environment that supports curiosity. It’s a space where compelling thoughts and conversations are nurtured.
Madinda took the floor and said, “For me, this place is towards freedom, where we can talk about the contradictions of our society without being jailed. Freedom is a process. Freedom is all about fighting to regain your mind and the ability to ukuzakha as umntu.”
He paused, allowed his eyes to wander around calmly and continued, “We call people street kids as though the street gives birth. Kukude apho siya khona. This space allows you to learn and unlearn. We have a responsibility for what we say because amazwi ayadala. All the things we sing were sung before, but to a different tune.”
Witwatersrand University’s Professor Robert van Niekerk elaborated on some of the violence he witnessed growing up in the 1980s. He spoke on the death of his then-leader, Ashley Kriel. During his time of grief, he was challenged with a question that forced him to confront his emotions that he had been avoiding. “We come from that, and that’s what we know. We buried the trauma that we experienced, and did not speak about it. My generation saw ourselves as cadres.” Van Niekerk continued and said, “The brutality he [Ashley Kriel] experienced is something we blocked out. Your generation liberates all facets of our being. Our spiritual and emotional being. Your generation has liberated me to feel and be. I want to acknowledge your generation and your role in liberating me. It’s all about confronting the trauma we have experienced in various ways. You guys are constantly grappling with these questions and asking the relevant questions about true emancipation,” shared van Niekerk.
He reflected on the power of music during his youth days and said, “Every day was about confronting the regime. I found my solace in music and lyrics. There was something so powerful I’d listen to. The revolutionary lyrics expanded my consciousness. My hero was Big Youth. I remember attending his concert around the theme of Black Consciousness. His deep cultural roots and blues reflected what was happening.”
“Connection to the music offered us many ways of looking at emancipation, but what wasn’t affected is what to do with all that emancipation. We can still return to the music in ways that help to answer some of these questions,” added van Niekerk.
“There’s power in music and there’s power in how each person allows the frequency to take them,” expressed Madinda.
Kwantu Choir member Katlego Magabane joined the dialogue. “There’s something in melody, too, that speaks to us and frees us. Artists may write and times, but what is freeing is the freedom of melody.” He said melodies evoke emotions, and not much is being recognised in their ability to communicate with the masses.
“I think there’s a disconnect between generations in the way we speak and describe freedom. We are fighting for the same thing in different ways. I believe we are still fighting against the grief that is happening. We are physically free, but I think we are looking for a way to navigate the grief that apartheid left. There’s a grief and a loss that our parents are feeling and facing that they can’t describe. We see it in their actions, and we recognise it. We are fighting for emotional freedom,” he expressed.
Jazz Afrika Collective’s Bulelani Mfuku said, “Freedom did come, but the remnants of what apartheid did still occur. It seems that our generation has lost the will to fight. There’s a song by Thandiwe, Nizalwa Ngobani. The song says, ‘Do you remember who you came from? ‘ And people sing it, but it hurts when you listen to it. It speaks of how people are still oppressed.”
“Freedom is an everlasting conversation that we will always have. Freedom is the ability for the soul to breathe without fear.” Shared a young creative through her poem.
“One of the biggest black artists who has pioneered what jazz is, is Nina Simone. She said an artist must reflect the times. Currently, as young Black artists, we struggle to express ourselves freely and have the respect and courtesy to respect those who’ve lived before us and those we live among,” said Nqobani Dabengwa.
“Do not allow yourself to be muted,” said Koboka as she concluded the conversation. “These freedoms that we have, how much are they infringing on Ubuntu bethu. In opening these spaces, how much of ourselves are we losing?”
Circling back to the theme, freedom sounds like the captivating performances of the Kwantu Choir. Each song was executed well and captured the audience’s emotion, from their choices to their well-harmonised melody. The crowd was ululating proudly as the Kwantu Choir charmed them with their rhythm and dance moves. Freedom sounds like their collective voices coming together.
Freedom sounds like the smooth jazz tunes of the Jazz Afrika Collective. It sounds like the collective gentleness of their saxophone, bass guitar, trombone, keyboard and drums. Freedom sounds like the beauty of creative freedom, which allows us to feel. I want to feel at home, to feel included, to feel warm, to feel proudly South African, to feel the movement, to feel the state of Black Consciousness, and to feel the merge of all generations. Lastly, I want to feel freedom through music.
