Ziyawa Monday! Showcase Sessions @ moyo Melrose Arch

Every second Monday of the month, moyo Melrose Arch is HAPPENING showcasing talented new comer’s to the South African music scene.

 

Elements of Soul bared their soul to our moyo guests on 12 March.  An exciting trio - who I have no doubt will be making waves very soon locally!

 

The soothing croon from singer/composer Sibu Msesiwe exceeded my expectations, her skilled vocal control belying her youthful appearance.  Shades of Sade momentarily visible enhanced my perception of a world class set up. With Man-D Tengani on piano & DJ Palture mixing a backdrop of instrumental accoutrements there will be no stopping this skilled team. Produced through Beyonce Records in East London, Elements of Soul brings daily living circumstances & experiences to light, conveying inspirational messages.  A fusion of R&B, Soul and Deep House mixed with originality & creativity.

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This last Monday 9 April saw the Funky, Jazzy, Trip Hoppy Zetina  & her band take to the stage. WOW, I love this ladies sound. Delicious, rich, soulful, textured are but a few adjectives to describe her performance. Accompanied by guitarist - Ancienth, drummer - Papi & saxophonist – Bra Vusi, Zetina filled the space with her beautiful voice & original compositions, sung in English. Of exotic heritage with Ghanaian mom & Southern African dad of Sotho origin, Zetina will probably be adding influences from both these cultures in her future compositions. In fact on that note, I love the story behind Zetina’s stage name, a combination of both her parent’s names, honouring mom Faustina & dad Zet.

 

A definite to check out is her video of her song Lately on youtube

 

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Apt extract’s from Zetina’s biography - written by Thabiso Mohapeloa - perfectly describes her musical performance :

 

“Zetina Mosia is a 23 year old cutting edge jazz vocalist that experiments with combining Jazz and Trip-Hop to create a new genre of music South Africa has still yet to define. With her soon to be released debut album, interestingly titled “The Round About” she takes one on a complete circle of emotions.  Fusing traditional jazz with trip-hop and funk elements over conscious meditative lyrics her voice transports you into a world where the soul is sometimes too shy to enter.  She speaks of places we all know we have been but allow ourselves to deny for the convenience of protecting our hearts, although we understand that in order to arrive at a place of feeling good about being, we must enter certain corners of our lives.  From loving, hating, philosophizing about life in the universe to basically playing around and finding that child in ourselves, she helps us to enjoy that life is completely unimportant and irrelevant whilst being extremely serious and in need of protection from hurting.

Zetina studied jazz and classical music for 4 years at The National School of The Arts. At the age of 15 she was selected through the Yamaha Young Talent Competion to record and perform with Mpumi Dlamini.  She has now just completed her solo album with Kanif Sebright, who is well renowned for producing music for Simphiwe Dana, Thandiswa Mazwai, Tha Hymphatic Thabs, RudeBoy Paul amongst others.”  

“Zetina’s music carries the discipline required for jazz and its know-how while still challenging the boundaries of Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop, Drum ‘n Bass and Dub music.  It is interesting how, as a live-act Zetina Mosia brings together digital technology and live instruments to create a funky groove.”

” With every performance Zetina and her band always deliver a blend of musicology that is ground-breakingly different. It is one of those things that is difficult to explain in words and I find it doesn’t do the music any justice to even continue trying, one deserves the respect and trust that your ears will be able to judge for themselves.  I totally love the way I feel after listening to Zetina Mosia’s “The Round About” and watching her and her band perform.”

Check out the latest & greatest @ our next rocking Ziyawa Monday!

See you there

xxx

gh_moyo

 

 

 

moyo Models for Africa 2011, moyo Blouberg ( Eden on the Bay)

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Situated along one of South Africa's most beautiful coastlines, moyo Blouberg ( Eden on the Bay) played host to the third moyo Models for Africa event. This prestigious venue has long been associated with great causes, the first event in Stellenbosch having raised over half a million rand for this year's main beneficiary, SALT

The partnership between moyo and Models for Africa has grown strong over the last five years and it was with great enthusiasm and much planning that the teams from either side came together to honour the people of our nation through fashion, feasting, music and a special brand of fellowship that is beautifully and distinctly African.

From the start, the 2011 function was promising to be something very special. Designers and clothing labels such as Cindy Bam, Nazir off the peg, House of Silk, Babette and Label Femme donated items for a fashion show as well as for auction. A runway was created that winded through the tables of the venue, where any of the 100 guests in attendance could get a closer view of each designer's range. To kick off the evening, there was entertainment on the balcony overlooking the ocean by local Jazz sensation Vuyo Sotashe. An incredible ambience began to build as various guests arrived and were treated to welcome canapés and cocktails. Once everyone was seated, the MC for the evening, Roxi Ingram, took to the stage and gracefully welcomed everyone. Pauline de Klerk, the head of SALT, proceeded to give a speech about the organisation and their work, giving testimony to the impact that caring for families has on our local communities.

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With the fashion show in full swing, dinner was served and each guest was treated to the delicious fare that moyo is famous for. Local musicians Evelyn Hart and Matt Roux provided entertainment in between each course as well as each designer's show, and by the time the auction began at the end of the night, people's appetites for supporting SALT were thoroughly whetted!  The auctioneer for the evening, Jade Mostert aka Dangerboy from 5fm, got on to a fabulous roll and all manner of items were auctioned off to the very generous crowd. From dresses to diamonds, each person was made to feel a part of the exciting atmosphere with the usual bustle of the restaurant downstairs adding to the feel of the room and the quality of each person's experience.

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With a beautifully emotive closing by Roxi and thundering applause for all involved, the evening gradually wound down and was brought to a close. With nearly R80 000 raised for SALT, one can honestly say that there was not a single person who attended who was not impacted deeply by the events of the night. There is something to be said for the flavour, enjoyment and humanity of African hospitality. It is something soulful and not surface-deep, colourful and textured with friendship and life, reaching each and every sense once has - from the ears through to the eyes and down to the heart. It is exciting to know that an event like this one can only grow and be a blessing to all, especially to those who are vulnerable and in need of a helping hand.

 

Bring on 2012!

5FM Fresh Drive - Ultimix@6 volume 2 event at moyo uShaka Pier

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Sooo .. You must be staying in Kuvukiland if you dont know “The Ultimix” on DJ Fresh’s hit drive-

time show. Every week day between 18h00-18h30 on 5fm.

Famous DJ's such as DJ Dino Bravo, DJ Kent and DJ Euphonik are on the wheels of steel, mixing house tracks keeping and you company when you’re driving home.... and guess who will be hosting the launch of their 6th CD...... only the coolest hippest place to be seen in Durban – moyo uShaka pier  - tadaaaa

I get goose bumps every time I hear the promo on 5FM mentioning our gorgeous moyo ushaka pier as the venue for this ultimate gathering of uber talented DJ’s and approximately 2000, 5fm party going fans of the ultimix at 6. If  you haven’t bought your ticket yet..... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!!!!

It all happens this Friday the 4th of November from 6pm. Tickets available at Computicket >> http://bit.ly/sqo2PJ 

  • Ticket price: R100
  • Date: 4 November 2011
  • Start time: 21h30
  • Venue: moyo uShaka Pier
  • Age: No under 18s Ticket Collection
  • Doors open: 21h30 

 

Visit us at www.moyo.co.za

 

 

Africa Connected

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Closer to home - that being South Africa, social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in South Africa is 9.30% compared to the country's population and 86.18% in relation to number of Internet users.

The total number of FB users in South Africa is reaching 4 567 640 and grew by more than 777 300 in the last 6 months.

Comparing these Facebook stats with the nearest countries by number of Facebook users shows that South Africa has 0.08% higher FB penetration than South Korea and 0.28% lower FB penetration than Marshall Islands.

As momentum builds in networking the continent, the benefits of connecting African communities become increasingly clear!

"Imagine an Africa where farmers can always find the best price for their produce, where students in remote villages can interact with teachers thousands of miles away. Imagine an Africa where remote video consultations enable doctors to diagnose rural patients who would otherwise go untreated. Imagine an Africa where the great urban centers are safer for citizens thanks to modern surveillance systems. Imagine Africa Connected." .. Ayelet Baron

Africa 101 by Renee Snoyman

To speak of any sacred scriptures in Africa is to speak of what is written in the hearts of the African people

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Lately I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into Africa for a new project we will be launching at moyo in February 2012 (will catch up and update more about moyo Africa project at a later date) internet research can be quite lonely and not very interactive, so when the opportunity arose to attend a series of lectures called Africa 101 in Cape Town – come on Jo’burg where is your Africa 101?- run by The African Arts Institute (AFAI) - www.africanartsinstitute.org.za

I literally and figuratively jumped at the chance (and on a plane) with my colleague Bianca to meet “in the flesh people” who share the same passion and lust for Africa. Our schedule was jam-packed with lectures and discussions in African literature, culture, music, travel and cinema.

I felt that the lectures could have been more successful had they been more interactive and less focused on power point presentation and the spaces were not as conducive or as inspiring as they should have been which got me to thinking ...

Can you imagine if we grow Africa 101 in moyo spaces, where better to learn and explore contemporary African trends, icons and innovations in African music, literature, cinema, dance, theatre and visual arts than in modern sophisticated African ionic spaces?

Imagine “walking through” a music lecture and actually be able to see, touch and chat to the musician playing the instrument, this could be done with poetry, dance, food, art in fact everything. I guess I’m a tactile person and could think of nothing more delicious then experiencing an Africa through my touch,smell,taste and sight bar being able to visit the countries in person.

So what else inspired me?

  1. Iain Harris of Coffeebeans Routes with his fascinatinating ideas in the changing trends of travel in Africa moving from a destination based travel towards urban African experiences, he reckons that people are becoming more interested in meeting and listening to the experiences then in just sightseeing! He has a vision to introduce an African festival and cultural tour.How cool is that travel through African festivals!
  2. Leopold Seder Senghor’s poem  – "The black Women ‘clothed with your colour which is life ,your form which is beauty...”
  3. Mike Dearham – Mnet African film library – the largest African film library in the world.
  4. Also got to find out more about the Arab Spring, Ram Koolhaus, Bisi Sila, Tauriq Jenkins and Brendan Busi ............

Until later :)