Physical and virtual audiences throughout South Africa and the world will come together for the first mixed reality Afrotech Festival Experience, themed “The Road to Amapiano”, at the Old Fort, Constitution Hill, on 7 September.
The Road to Amapiano is a celebration event in Heritage month, of 30 years of the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) – South Africa’s premier independent arts development and investment organisation – founded in 1994 with Madiba as its patron-in-chief. The festival, a partnership between ACT and immersive reality group Soda World, is sponsored by Nedbank, a founding funder of ACT and supporter for the past 30 years.
‘We’ll be celebrating the history and global impact of South African music through an unforgettable mixed reality journey through 30 years of South African music,’ says ACT CEO Jessica Denyschen. Mixed reality is a blend of the physical and digital worlds.
The festival has a line-up of South Africa’s top musicians from the 1990s to today, including genres like Kwaito, Afro-house, Gqom, Hip Hop, Afrotech and Amapiano. There will also be an 8-hour jam session hosted by Soweto’s ‘Sawubona Music Jam’, who has played with South African musical greats like Miriam Makeba and trains musicians in Soweto. Renowned South African creative, Jefferson Tshabalala, who is one of ACT’s alumni, is doing the on-stage direction that will include multiple screens with the live audience of an anticipated 1 800 people interacting with virtual audiences from around the globe, coming together in real time and avatars mingling between.
‘We’re creating an entirely new concert paradigm,’ says Soda World founder Michael Balkind. ‘By merging mixed reality with South Africa’s vibrant musical legacy, we’ve developed an experience that erases physical limitations. Whether you’re moving to the beat at Constitution Hill or tuning in from Tokyo, you’ll be immersed in a landmark event that broadcasts Africa’s creative brilliance to the globe.’
Soda World specialises in creating immersive experiences that connect the digital and physical worlds, incorporating mixed reality in hybrid events using tech like PTZ, multi-cam, and virtual reality (VR) to connect South Africa with global audiences.
The audience can deep-dive into this immersive experience live at the venue or in VR from anywhere on the planet. They can bring their own VR set or rent one at the event. VR audiences from around the globe can purchase a ticket on Eventbrite and log into the virtual festival space using any mobile device, computer, smart TV or via Spatial.io or VRChat.
Poovi Pillay, Executive Head of Corporate Social Investment at Nedbank says: ‘We are very excited about this forward-thinking direction for the future of creativity, with ACT setting the trend in something that could be huge for our country and creatives. We already have the product. Our musicians and artists are some of our greatest riches. They are the fabric of society; they are the keepers of our country and continent’s heart and soul. At this phenomenal Road to Amapiano Festival Experience, they get to share 30 years of home-grown musical ingenuity. What better way to celebrate the past 30 years and the future of ACT?’
The line-up includes Thebe, Boom Shaka, Oskido, Scotts Maphuma, MFR Souls, Thakzin, Aero Manyelo, Nasty C, Glen Lewis, Jimm & Tonic, Just Themba, Jab A Jaw, Moonchild Sanelly, Tamara Dey and DJ Ready D.
In addition to the music, there will be VR, gaming and design experiences, art and merchandise on sale, gourmet local food stops, beer tastings, and a curated kids entertainment zone.
The choice of the festival title “Road to Amapiano” references the current global craze, Amapiano, which evolved through the decades from the other seminal genres featured at the festival. ‘Musicians from the 90s share the stage with rising stars, growing the love of South African music across generations and the world,’ says Denyschen.
Music has always been South Africa’s messenger ‘as the champion and carrier of protest in the transition to the country’s democracy, and now of hope, creativity and opportunity in this artificial intelligence, mixed reality, metaverse era,’ explains Denyschen. ‘South Africa and the continent have to maximise the opportunity this wave presents,’ she says. ‘It can leapfrog us into a global market and economy, drawing in international audiences who contribute in dollars and pounds, with huge impact given the exchange rate. Music can be a frontrunner here as it is innate in our African culture and encompasses many other artforms in its practise.’
The Road to Amapiano is a celebration of our culture and the borderless potential of South African creativity. ‘It’s a wonderful confluence of opportunity and legacy, including the venue at Constitution Hill, which has been proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 26 July this year,’ says Denyschen.
‘As part of ACT’s 30 years of investing in the South African arts and culture sector, this festival will be a legacy for creating sustainable livelihoods for cultural and creative practitioners in the digital age. We invite you to join us on this incredible journey and be part of history in the making.’
Tickets start from only R150 (flash sales) and R350 general access. Come play with us in person or party in the metaverse!