As the 10th anniversary of the annual Buyel’Ekhaya Pan African Music Festival draws closer, organisers are preparing to give festival-goers the best Buyel’Ekhaya festival in history at the Buffalo City Stadium on December 16, in celebration of this significant milestone.
Starting out in December 2009, attracting a mere 5,000 festival-goers, the popular music event has grown to attract 22,000 music lovers annually over the last few years.
“The festival has grown in leaps and bounds and marking the 10th year is truly an admirable feat and something close to our hearts,” said co-founder and organiser of the festival, Osa Mazwai.
Bringing some of the best acts to East London annually, this year is no different and audiences can expect another high calibre artistic lineup featuring 12 talented musicians including Grammy award winners Lady Smith Black Mambazo as well as Zahara, Shekhinah, Moonchild Sanelly, Jonas Gwangwa and Prince Kaybee.
From jazz and Afro-soul to pop and dance favourites, Mazwai said that the festival will balance the old with the new, in an effort to give loyal supporters a world-class experience.
Welcoming revellers from 10am, the festival is expected to entertain well into the wee hours of the following morning, only officially ending at 5am.
BCM spokesperson, Samkelo Ngwenya said that although all events must comply with the bylaws indicating that events must end at 2am, exemptions can be made after event organisers submit a comprehensive report indicating why their event should be exempt from the set closing time and the various considerations are taken into account by the city manager.
“Buyel’Ekhaya has an exemption and it comes with various stipulations in our bylaws including that they have sound engineers on site throughout the event, but there is no blanket decision that suggests events will end at 5am instead of 2am,” said Ngwenya.
Mazwai added: “We’ve always had a good relationship with the city and we’ve finished at about 5am for quite a few years.
“It allows our festival visitors to have access to taxis and not be stranded at 2am.”
As the entertainment and music will continue throughout the night and early morning, festival organisers have made use of a sound engineer to ensure that the noise levels remain within the law.
“We’ve taken all the necessary steps to keep the noise below certain levels as required by law. Our sound engineer will also be on board and will respond to noise complaints,” said Mazwai.
Earlier this month the Daily Dispatch reported that BCM sponsored the Buyel’Ekhaya festival by R2m this year.
Mazwai did not confirm the amount, but said the sponsorship has contributed to the best quality sound and stage setup, security company and artists for the festival.
“We want to give our supporters a high quality and enjoyable event. Sponsorships enable us to achieve this.”
While Buyel’Ekhaya will certainly be a jubilant and entertaining experience, since its inception organisers have advocated the festival’s contribution to development and social cohesion.
“Festivals are more than just a fun affair, they are an intricate part of our society, from the financial aspects of economic development through tourism promotion, job creation and skills development to nation building,” said Mazwai.
He said that in 2014 a Rhodes University impact study found that the festival contributed R25m to the local economy.
“We believe that this number has grown along with our growth in attendance and expansion,” said Mazwai.
The annual Buyel’Ekhaya fashion workshop will be held on Wednesday, December 12 at 12noon and the fashion show on Friday, December 14 at Hemingways in East London, email info@ buyelekhaya.co.za for more details on how to attend the workshop...