History and heritage meet in the Cape Winelands as the Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek (MJFSA) – the first-ever Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) on African soil – reveals the poster that will define its identity for 2026: a work by South African master artist Sam Nhlengethwa.<\/p>\n
Continuing the nearly 60-year-old Montreux Jazz Festival tradition of pairing art and music, the Franschhoek festival organisers collaborated with Elana Brundyn, one of South Africa\u2019s most respected cultural leaders, known for her work in building museums, shaping collections, and redefining how art engages with society across the African continent. Brundyn invited a select group of South African artists, each chosen for their distinctive voice, to interpret the spirit of the upcoming festival and the global MJF brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam has painted our musicians, our people, and our joy for decades,\u201d said Elana Brundyn. \u201cHis deep connection to jazz, and his instinctive understanding of how sound becomes emotion, made him the natural choice for this historic first.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lifelong jazz devotee, Nhlengethwa\u2019s visual language has long celebrated South Africa\u2019s musical heritage, paying tribute to icons such as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Miles Davis. His poster for MJFSA – painted over a decade ago – features jazz great Charles Mingus and, as Sam puts it, \u201cIt\u2019s as if Mingus was waiting for Montreux to come to Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a recent interview, Nhlengethwa reflected on his creative journey and the humility instilled in him by his grandmother, who raised him in Payneville. \u201cShe always said, \u2018Learn, don\u2019t lean.\u2019 That shaped me,\u201d he shared. \u201cAnd my brother, a jazz musician, taught me that sound and feeling are one. Jazz became my oxygen – it\u2019s what keeps me alive creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over his four-decade career, Nhlengethwa has built an international reputation for work that hums with rhythm and humanity. From designing the set for the historic 1994 televised debate between Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk to exhibiting at major art fairs across the globe, he continues to create from a place of authenticity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m humbled that my work can represent this moment – when Montreux finally meets in Africa,\u201d says Nhlengethwa.<\/p>\n
Founder of MJFSA, Mark Goedvolk said: \u201cThis first Montreux Jazz Festival on African soil is a statement of confidence in who we are as a creative continent. Sam\u2019s poster captures the warmth, rhythm, and sophistication that defines that. It reminds us that our stories, told through music and art, belong on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek will debut in Franschhoek from 27\u201329 March 2026, uniting world-class musicians and artists in a boutique setting that celebrates Africa\u2019s creative brilliance.<\/p>\n
The inaugural festival will take place in Franschhoek, South Africa. The festivities can be enjoyed from Friday 27th <\/sup>March to Sunday 29th<\/sup> March \u2013 a weekend of entertainment, exceptional food, wine, and an immersive cultural experience with Franschhoek as the stage.<\/p>\n Like in Montreux, t<\/span>he event will be hosted across the whole town of Franschhoek, making it a destination music festival.<\/span><\/p>\n Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek will have three stages, creating a festival journey from the main festival stage located at the Huguenot Monument at the top of the town, a second stage that will be built nearer to the centre of Franschhoek, and a 3rd <\/sup>stage that will be an intimate venue for more jazz-focused performances and the potential jam session.<\/p>\n Ticketmaster has been contracted as the ticket provider for the first Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek.\u00a0 They bring with them expertise in large scale music festivals and the Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek operational team have a longstanding working relationship with them and together will provide a seamless experience for ticket buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1890,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"event_listing_category":[392],"event_listing_type":[371],"class_list":["event_listing","type-event_listing","event_listing_category-performing-visual-arts","event_listing_type-festival-or-fair","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_listing\/1889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_listing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event_listing"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"event_listing_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_listing_category?post=1889"},{"taxonomy":"event_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_listing_type?post=1889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}