Kwani Experience back in Europe
Seems like just the other day we let you know that one of our SA’s finest jazzy/hiphop grooving bands, Kwani Experience, was on their way to Holland, France and Belgium (via Zim!) to make friends; looks like the overseas connections are paying off as they pack their bags for a much more Northerly destination, Norway…BonVoyage … Represent!
Acclaimed Jozi-band, Kwani Experience is off to Norway and is set to turn heads, hearts and minds upside down during a 10-day exchange program in Oslo, 15 to 24 October 2008.
Bridge The Gap
The popular band has been chosen by Off The Hook Production to front the project BRIDGE THE GAP, which will see the band collaborating with musicians, dancers and singers in Norway.
Activities in Norway
Kwani Experience will do workshops and performances in Oslo and also do rehearsals with dancers in a stage production called “Afro-Euro” which will later go on a tour in South Africa.
Ambassadors with attitude
– Kwani Experience is a great ambassador for the contemporary young pulse of South Africa, says Project Director, Brother Buntu. – They push boundaries and represent both traditions, fusion and experimentation. Kwani brings together the past, present and future through their eclectic style and appeal to young people with their “I-define-myself” attitude.
Fearless musicians
The 6-piece live-band brings together jazz, soul, hip-hop and African traditional sounds fused with a message of inspiration and rootedness. In South Africa they have been hailed as an innovative group of fearless musicians, providing the soundtrack for a soul-searching generation in “the new South Africa”. Their two releases, “The Mudaland Funk” (2005) and “Live After Birth” (2007) have become landmarks in contemporary South African music, and through their tours to many countries they have grown a large following around the world.
Partnerships
Kwani Experience will be hosted by Nordic Black Theatre in Norway and work and meet with many artists based in and around Oslo. The program is a partnership initiated and coordinated by Off The Hook Productions in South Africa, and the exchange is funded by MMINO.
About the project and the stake holders:
BRIDGE THE GAP
Bridge The Gap is an exchange program between artists from South Africa and Norway. The program seeks to merge different expressions, genres and styles through workshops, collaborative performances and rehearsals. From 15 to 24 October, South African band Kwani Experience will be in Norway to do performances, workshops and collaborations with artists based in Oslo. Part of the program is dedicated to rehearsals for a co-production called “Afro-Euro” which will later tour in South Africa. The exchange is coordinated by Off The Hook Production in South Africa and will be hosted by Nordic Black Theatre in Norway. The program is funded by Mmino.
OFF THE HOOK PRODUCTION
Off the Hook is a South African company involved in community-based work within arts and culture. The company has previously coordinated artist exchange programs in cooperation with Afrikan History Week, Norway.
NORDIC BLACK THEATRE / MS INNVIK
Nordic Black Theatre (NBT) is a theatre and a theatre school focusing on performance artists and youth from different parts of the world. The theatre is located at MS Innvik, a cultural boat located at Langkaia in Bjørvika, Oslo. The boat houses a performance stage, a café, Bed & Breakfast facilities and hosts many cultural activities. Web: www.nordicblacktheatre.no / www.msinnvik.no
MMINO
MMINO – the South African – Norwegian Music Education & Exchange Cooperation – is funding organization focusing on the development of music. MMINO operates in partnership with the National Arts Council in South Africa and Rikskonsertene in Norway. Web: www.mmino.org.za
