Aluta Continua!!!
A LUTA CONTINUA 2025 will be the fourth annual iteration of Jazz for the Revolution in South Africa. Founded as Jazz Against Apartheid in 1986 in Frankfurt by Eastern Cape composer Johnny Dyani and Frankfurt activist Jurgen Leinhos. Recipient of the OR Tambo Presidential direction (2021) for its contribution to improving the lives of the oppressed was returned to South Africa in 2022 with the support of former exiles in Germany Vusi Mchunu and Professor Peggy Luswazi to revive contemporary narratives such as Jazz for Rural Advancement. The 2025 events are key anniversaries for the 30 years of twinning Lower Saxony and Eastern Cape in 2025. Three musical visitors from Germany will collaborate widely throughout the Eastern Cape region with particular focus on skills transfer with youth groups from East London, Alice, Qonce and Makhanda. Two additional special projects are also planned for 2025, Recognition of Retsi Pule 85th birthday through an international tour and recognition of the contribution of Professor Peggy Luswazi through the repatriation of her thesis from Germany to South Africa.
The annual event is made possible through the support of Eastern Cape Development Corporation and takes place at the multi-venue Steve Biko Centre with auditorium for biggish bands, amphitheatre for acoustic collaboration, gallery’s, museums and archives. To date the initiative has engaged 40 musicians from three continents, communities, academies, universities, audiences throughout the province and nationwide. Aluta Continua!!! is a fixed feature of the Eastern Cape jazz landscape. Founded on the legacy of a composer Johnny Dyani and by an author Struan Douglas, the initiative takes its primary aim as reviving the composers, leaders and writers of the South African jazz explosion from the Eastern Cape, including the Matshikiza Brothers, Ngcukana, Ngqawana, Mankunku, Nomvete, Mbambisa, Dudu Pukwana and Pinise Saul to name a few. The core focus is skills transfer “Nachwuchsforderung” (transfer of societal values, knowledge and skills to the next generation) in an inclusive and economically emancipating cultural exchange and exploration of the vibrant cultural heritage.
Workshops, mentorship and collaboration virtual and physical bring together professional musicians, educators, writers, artists, music professionals and poets with community centres, academies, schools, education networks and universities. The residue is gigabytes of data multi-media data that is to be backed up preserved, deposited, edited, published for equal access in education. This South African Jazz archive is a project of afribeat.com (founded 2000) and includes Story of South African Jazz, Steve Biko Foundation, ILAM and the National Archive.
Aluta Continua!!! Jazz for the Revolution, the fourth annual edition of the event takes place 6th of December 2025 in Qonce. Performances include “United Through Music” a multi-generational collaboration and
Imvuselelo, the Richness of the Eastern Cape. The initiative highlights Collaboration Composition and Co-creation with the vision of creating a platform for a pool of musicians of all ages, forms and abilities. To donate, collaborate, showcase, present and co-create kindly contact struan@afribeat.com #togetherwecan #germanyinsa
Project Plan
2024 events are year three in South Africa and year 38 worldwide. JAA has longevity and is a meeting of cultural activism and jazz music. The 2024 edition is titled Aluta Continua!!! and follows the theme “From Jazz Against Apartheid to Jazz for Rural Advancement.”
The 2024 event provides a hybrid programme providing opportunities for collaboration, co-operation and co-creation online through dialogues, conferences networks and physical through meetings, rehearsals, gatherings and artistic gala performances.
Conferences: Hybrid series of panel discussions invites music departments, music educators, facilitators, young students and high schools to engage with local and international experts on South African memory and justice through jazz, but also poetry, art, sculpture, literary and education. Academics and experts in the field bring rural development into the centre of the narrative. Goals are to develop new narratives and growth path for an inclusive equal access to opportunity and education, capacity building, emotional and economic empowerment growth path.
Collaborations: Musical collaborations include skills transfer, visitor exchanges and workshops for a new generation of artistic directors and composers, virtuoso and community representatives, diverse participants from multiple community centres and education institutions, and new musical collaborations, arrangements and narratives to overcome the divisions created by the history of colonialism and clear the path to unity, exchange and emancipation.
Musical collaborators come together in physical musical meetings and collaborations. These are enhanced through regular online engagements.
Donor Driven: As a grassroots initiative largely supported by churches and civil society. The 2024 crowdfunding campaign is currently active at afribeat.com
Government Support: The event is supported by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and is recipient of the OR Tambo Presidential Direction in Silver.
Online Dialogues: Sessions begin in November 2024 to introduce collaborators and begin a regular form of online communications, engagements, resources and archiving.
Physical Concerts: Hallmark of the initiative is the Live at the Biko Centre annual musical collaborations. These are filmed and streamed on the internet to audiences worldwide.
The 2024 gala event is scheduled to take place at the Steve Biko Centre King Williams Town on December 7th 2024 with activations taking place throughout Buffalo City in the lead up.
Founders Germany: Juergen Leinhos (Kultur Im Ghetto) Johnny Dyani
Exiles in Germany: Vusi Mchunu (arts masters Berlin free university) Professor Peggy Luswazi (social development Berlin free university)
Directors SA: Struan Douglas Qhawekazi Giyose Octavia Rachabane
Sponsors: Eastern Cape Development Corporation (2022 – 2025) Hessisches Ministerium (2022-2023) Zentrum Oekumene 2023 German Embassy (2022-2023)
Venues: Steve Biko Centre
Gompo Art Centre (2022 –
Institutions: The Jazz Institut Archive in Darmstadt Penn University International Library of African Music University of Basel
Co-creators: Claude Deppa (London) Allen Jacobson (Canada) Daniel Guggenheim (Germany) Thomas Dyani (Denmark) Lex Futshane
Siphokazi Ngxokolo-Bili
Sakhile Simani Ne-ahtYah Mbuyazwe Retsi Pule
Vuyo Giba
Legends: Makaya Ntshoko
Todd Matshikiza Johnny Dyani
Tete Mbambisa Louis Moholo Professor Peggy Luswazi
Local businesses: For sound and instrument hire, camera and filming, sound engineering, recording, technical crew, volunteers and catering is a mutually beneficial opportunity to grow small businesses.
#togetherwecan
Skills Transfer: The main aim is what Germans call Nachwuchsförderung which is a nationally recognised tradition and policy by which knowledge and skills are purposefully transferred from the current generation to the next.
Veteran free-jazz musicians hold capacity building and training jazz workshops directed at interested and upcoming youth from the townships and rural areas.
Our struggle continues to restore cultural memory, sustainability and bring positive and lasting change to South Africa and the world. Jazz is a universal language representing freedom and is a catalyst for restorative justice through holistic music education including creative industry, mentorship and cultural exchange. #nachwuchs
Imvuselelo: South Africa’s culture memory was lost during apartheid but not destroyed. The return of the complete archive of 25 years of exile history provides new access to new capacity building resources and inspiring legacies.
Restoration of archives and oral history projects, through the publishing of new resources including sheet music, DVDs and training manuals, the creation of new resources through dialogue sessions, workshops, masterclasses and training videos made freely available online. #imvuselelo
Multi-media approach: Live recording, photography, internet broadcast and published content for archives and permanent and sustainable media, libraries, community centres and education at large, thereby opening the doors of education to the long-term solution of more local culture content in syllabus through mentorship.
Questions
The main aim is “Nachwuchsforderung” is the conscious policy and practice of transferring societal values, knowledge and skills to the next generation, Stand together with us to restore the dignity of indigenous practices and approaches to music, agriculture, crafting, spirituality and the holistic practice of making music or what we call jazz in South Africa. The events provide a unique meeting of liberation and legacy, a platform for self-reliance through music, and an opportunity to build a bright future.
- Collaboration between veteran international musicians and young Eastern Cape musicians.
- Workshop in undeserved communities for future students of the music
- Transcription and publishing of sheet music for schools, academies and teachers
- Celebration of music and liberation heroes of the freedom struggle
- Reviving the Eastern Cape Jazz Legacy
For each visitor into South Africa for the annual international jazz convergences there is a network of opportunity and impact for the visitors economy. The financial impact of a large scale music convergences such as the annual Eastern Cape initiative founded by afribeat.com is estimated at over R1.5-m with a year-on-year increase of 50%. Now in its third consecutive year our goal is to enable an impact of over R2-m. This is achieved through collaboration, co-operation and co-creation.
- Hospitality
For every visitor to South Africa destination Eastern Cape Province flight costs are an expense. International flights, approximately R20 000 per person return only fly into Johannesburg or Cape Town. A joining flight to Buffalo City or Gqeberha is estimated at R5000 each per person. Local Economy hospitality services costs including accommodation, tours, food and transportation costs can account for 25% of the cost. This is estimated at R3500 or 175Є per person per day. In-kind support from local businesses in the Eastern Cape is a win-win opportunity to help grow our international visitors economy into a sustainable and long-term project.
- Live Music
For cultural visitors, the opportunity to see the Eastern Cape whilst experiencing a jazz gathering is the focal point of the project. The Local Economy of live music venues, live music production, community centres, camera, film, streaming and live performance of dancers, musicians, instrumentalists and audiences. With very strong in-kind support from the local creative economy, the cost can be 25% of the total budget. The annual project is supported by ECDC and Steve Biko Centre and receives partner venues are often supported from Buffalo City and ECSRAC. In kind support from local businesses on sound and instrument hire, camera and filming, sound engineering, recording, technical crew, volunteers and catering is a mutually beneficial opportunity to grow small businesses.
- Honorariums
To provide employment, on-the-job training and economic stimulus is one of the key drivers for the role of Jazz festivals, gatherings and conferences in the visitors economy. Typically 25% of the budget can be attributed to fees for the creative team, collaborators, authors and composers. In kind support from local music schools, community centres, festivals, venues, social centres and creative skills development hubs are an important component of extending the reach of the initiative and the long-term impact. It is also a win-win situation with the opportunity for engagement hubs to profile, showcase, preserve and promote both legacy and talent on an international platform. Small businesses that benefit include sound and instrument hire, camera and filming, sound engineering, recording, technical crew, volunteers and catering is a mutually beneficial opportunity to grow small businesses.
Collaboration . Co-operation . Co-creation
Aluta Continua!!!
2025 Fourth edition of Aluta Continua !!! Jazz for the Revolution. An annual family- friendly, cultural festival that celebrates South African Jazz cultural heritage, legacy through oral history and magical live musical collaborations. Brought to you by Eastern Cape Development Corporation (seed-sponsor). Additional in-kind support from Steve Biko Centre, Buffalo City Tourism, Gompo Art Centre, Border Kei Chamber of Commerce, ECDC Office, Birkview Lodge Cintsa. 30 artists, cultural carriers, heritage performers, dancers and musicians from 3 Eastern Cape and up to 1000 visitors.
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