Farida Joyce
The Jabulani Amphitheatre in Soweto will be relaunched later this month with a Legends Tribute concert featuring the iconic jazz musician Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse.
An outdoor entertainment complex on the Soweto Theatre campus, the Amphitheatre has been undergoing a major revamp since 2017.
The tribute concert on 25 September is part of the Soweto Theatre’s 10th anniversary, or “tin” anniversary as it is known, which occurs the day after Heritage Day.
Mabuse told Scrolla.Africa that it is a celebration of musical legends and their contribution to South African music.
“It’s about time that we start celebrating musicians who made a difference in South African music.”
The Jabulani Amphitheatre was the birthplace of jazz in the 1960s and 1970s. It also served as the location for the funeral of Tsietsi Mashinini, a leader of the 1976 Soweto Uprising by learners who protested against Afrikaans being used as a medium of instruction in black schools. The memorial service for SACP leader Chris Hani, assassinated in 1993, was held there.
Legendary musicians such as Abigail Kubeka, Babsy Mlangeni, PJ Powers, the Soul Brothers, Pappa and Blondie Makhene will also perform at the concert.
Mabuse said the recognition of their “good old sound” was important to preserve the musical history and culture of the country.
“The old and the new need each other to keep our music growing. South Africa has great artists. It is just up to all of us and the media to help make the sound famous,“ he said.
