From 1964 during apartheid South Africa experienced a brain drain through exile. The remarkable story of Duncan Village resident, ANC exile and virtuoso bass player Johnny Mbizo Dyani has become a way-shower for how to reverse the effects of apartheid through cultural memory, by preserving and promoting legacy and living archives.
As co-founder of the cause Jazz Against Apartheid (JAA), Dyani’s legacy was performed prolifically in Germany, Switzerland and the USA, profiling the music and its message of liberation, collective freedom, and humanity through a musical collaboration of South Africans living in exile and German musicians.
Fellow co-founder Juergen Leinhos was awarded the OR Tambo Presidential Order in November 2021 for his tireless work in promoting equality and cooperation over the last 35 years. And in 2022 the legacy of Dyani, cultural activism in exile and cultural memory returned to South Africa, under the title “Homecoming.”
This has becoming annual initiative for the Eastern Cape with hybrid events, providing concerts, workshops for students of the music, digital exposure and bringing much needed awareness to the music of the Eastern Cape and its international impact as living archive highly relevant to current and future generations.
Through Nachwuchsförderung a conscious policy and practice of transferring societal values, knowledge and skills to the next generation, we have embarked on bringing home through music education to South Africa and the Eastern Cape this living treasure. The release of Dyani’s scores and the skills transfer workshops and musical collaborations, have developed extensive material, and when well archived will be a significant milestone in the restoration cultural memory and legacy (destroyed by apartheid). The Imvuselelo Archive is a tool in nation building and job creation.
The recognition of unsung heroes of Xhosa Africa Cape Jazz (as the unique music of the Eastern Cape is known) such as Dyani, and many others who have not yet been fully recognised or acknowledged such as Pukwana, Matshikiza brothers, Ngcukana, family McGregor, Ngqawana etc will have a profound effect.
This project builds on an extended German / Eastern Cape Co-operation. In 1997 following the visit of Professor Peggy Luswazi and the Unitra Choir to the international music youth festival at Bayreuth in 1997 a partnership and fellowship was created with the University of Mainz with the aim of establishing an Archive of African Music and Community Radio Station at Walter Sisulu University. This exists today.
IMVUSELELO, reviving the rich arts and culture legacy of the Eastern Cape through a provincial Eastern Cape archive is an innovative project driven by necessity that extends the existing co-operations to include International Library of African and University of Fort Hare to help establish Eastern Cape as an internationally recognised centre for music excellence.