MusicXwords is designed to provide South African musicians and spoken word artists with training and interdisciplinary exchange opportunities with fellow creatives, cultural players, booking agents and programmers. It also enhances the visibility of the participants with exposure to new networks in Africa and Europe.
The top five participants were selected from a cohort of 10 acts comprising 36 individual band members who participated in a capacity-building workshop and digital showcase in Johannesburg last October. After the conclusion of the showcase, which was viewed by industry players in Africa and Europe, five acts were chosen as beneficiaries to network at a European festival in 2022.
The five are Modise Sekgothe (poetry), Flex of He & I (poetry/music), Wandile Mbambeni (music), Bonj (music) and Khayalethu (poetry).
Representatives from the selected acts will travel to Gdynia where they will explore the city, participate in workshops and masterclasses, network with their Poland-based counterparts and meet with the organisers of Globatica festival.
Globatica celebrates world cultures and multicultural content – with an emphasis on ‘living culture’ – and programmes creatives from around the world. This year’s edition will feature artists from Reunion, Morocco, Mali, Mexico, Colombia and the Canary Islands, among others.
“We are incredibly happy to have reached this stage of the MusicXwords programme,” MIAF projects manager Violet Maila said. “Since the onset of the programme, we knew that we would uncover amazing South African musicians and spoken word artists and provide them with new opportunities to take their careers to the next level.
“The experiences they will draw from their trip to Poland will build on the knowledge they gained during the capacity-building workshop in 2021. This is a grand opportunity for them to collaborate with new creative acquaintances in Europe, leading to new works that they can monetise and help build their brands.”
The MusicXwords October workshop was facilitated by curator, artist and tour manager Siya Mthembu, revered jazz musician Thandi Ntuli and Soda Studio boss Michael Balkind. Mthembu and Ntuli took the participants on an export-readiness journey, which included guidance on how to conduct research before touring. They also spoke about the importance of understanding contracts, music publishing and the music streaming business.
Balkind, meanwhile, shared his knowledge and expertise of streaming, including strategies and ideas about building a global audience and pointers on how to monetise content online. His presentation also touched on the significance of the metaverse and virtual engagement.
After the conclusion of the workshops, top-five finalist Wandile Mbambeni singled out critical areas that independent artists needed to be aware of, including “owning your stuff such as royalties, contracts, sync rights and music licensing.”
“These can really open many avenues for me and I think I am at peace looking at the future because I know more now,” he said.
